Improved Alertness?

Amid intensified Indo-Pakistan tensions, there is the news of a Pakistan High Commission staffer being detained by the Delhi police on Wednesday for accessing sensitive defence documents while running a spy ring for the ISI. The person concerned was Mehmood Akhtar, who worked in the visa section of the Pakistan High Commission, had diplomatic immunity and was procuring critical details including deployment of BSF personnel along the Indo-Pak border from two other accomplices who were arrested in New Delhi. Described as the kingpin of the spy ring, 35-year-old Akhtar belongs to the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army. According to investigators, Akhtar had been on deputation to the spy agency ISI since 2013. They are currently probing possible involvement of more people from the Pakistan High Commission in espioge activities. On Wednesday, Akhtar, along with his accomplices—Subhash Jangir and Maula Ramzan—was picked up from the Delhi zoo. Akhtar was released after about three hours of interrogation since he had diplomatic immunity. The other two were sent to 12-day police custody by a Delhi court. What is noteworthy about this and other developments involving Pakistan is that there is evidence of increased alertness in everything that is happening. Lately, there have been several instances of firing from across the line of control by Pakistan. But all such belligerent acts have been swiftly repulsed and even retaliated by seven attacks on Pakistani posts. There have been no further replications of the attacks on Indian armed forces personnel like the ones of Uri and Pathankot. There are clear indications that our troops are now far more alert than they had been. This brings us to the important question of whether the Pakistani attacks on Uri and Pathankot were due to a regrettable lack of alertness on the part of our armed forces.