Making Barbarism a Habit

On Monday, a Pakistani special forces team sneaked about 250 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector and beheaded an Indian soldier and a head constable of the Border Security Force (BSF). And in the characteristic Pakistani style of barbarism, both the security personnel killed were also mutilated. The Indian Army vowed an “appropriate” response to the “despicable act”, which significantly took place a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa visited some areas along the LoC and promised support to the Kashmiris. The Pakistan Army has denied that it was involved in any attack on Indian security personnel. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in Delhi that the “sacrifice (of the two killed) will not go in vain” and that the Indian armed forces will react “appropriately” to the “inhuman act” of the Pakistani troops. The attack was reported to have been carried out by the Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan which comprises the special forces, under the cover of shelling by Pakistani troops in the Krish Ghati sector in the Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir.

While we await the kind of action that the Defence Minister of India has promised, it is nevertheless appropriate to ask how Pakistan mages to carry out such repeated acts of barbarism against our security forces and get away without any casualties. Why is it that we are always caught off guard and lose our security personnel, while the Pakistani attackers mage to escape without any losses? Is there a lack of alertness on the part of Indian security forces that the Pakistani attackers are able to take advantage of time and again? What is certainly disconcerting (to say the least) is that there should be no preparedness among Indian security forces even after two or three such attacks by Pakistani soldiers. In fact, after the first unrepulsed attack by Pakistani troops, there should have been adequate preparedness and alertness among Indian security forces to ensure that no attack by Pakistani forces could go without instant counterattacks by Indian troops.

While it is important for India to appreciate that Pakistani attacks on our security forces or territory cannot be allowed to go unrepulsed, it is also important that organizations like the UNO must make it a habit to take suo moto action on any country that chooses to attack other countries without provocation. Pakistan has made it a habit to attack India without the least provocation. It has also practiced the kind of barbarism that is unheard of in warfare of any kind in the present–day world. The UNO has a responsibility to ensure that regardless of justifications that might or might not exist for military action between two countries, the kind of barbarism that Pakistan has practiced against Indian security personnel shall never go unchallenged or unquestioned. Apart from initiating the necessary pel action, it must place a veto on any bilateral action that borders on the barbaric in the interests of civilized diplomatic conduct between member countries of the UNO.