September 29 this year marks 7 years of India’s successful surgical strike to combat terrorism across the Line of Control. Here is a brief look back into the events that unraveled which strained relations between India and Pakistan substantially.
The surgical strike
The strike was conducted in 2016, specifically on September 29, 2016. This operation was in response to a terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, a town in Jammu and Kashmir. In the Uri attack, four heavily armed terrorists believed to be from Pakistan-based militant groups infiltrated the base and killed 19 Indian soldiers.
In response to this attack, the Indian government ordered a surgical strike on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), which is the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. The surgical strike was carried out by the Indian Army's special forces and involved crossing the LoC to target these terrorist launch pads.
The details of the operation were not fully disclosed to the public due to security concerns, but the Indian government reported that it achieved its objectives and inflicted significant casualties on terrorists and their infrastructure. The surgical strike was seen as a strong message to Pakistan and a demonstration of India's resolve to combat cross-border terrorism.
Indo-Pak relations
The operation escalated tensions between India and Pakistan and led to a diplomatic and military standoff. Pakistan denied that any such surgical strike had occurred and described it as "false propaganda" by India.
In 2019, a movie named, ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ was produced in Bollywood starring Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, etc. The movie is based on the 2016 surgical strike by India in Jammu & Kashmir.
The incident had significant geopolitical implications and further strained the already tense relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
