TOPIC OF THE DAY:-“Pushing boundaries: on Balakot air strikes”
The air strikes have delivered a clear, robust message; the follow-up must be restrained
The Indian Air Force’s strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot delivers a robust but calibrated message. The latter is manifest in New Delhi’s diplomaticutterances. While the strikes followed the Pulwama attack by a couple of weeks, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale referred to the action as a “non-military pre-emptive strike”. The phrase indicates the action was based on an assessment of an imminent threat, and had ensured that Pakistan’s military personnel and infrastructure were not targeted, and civilian casualties were actively avoided. In effect, New Delhi’s line is that the operation was an intelligence-driven counter-terror strike rather than escalatory military aggression. The government said all other options had been exhausted in making Islamabad keep its commitments since 2004 on curbing the activities of groups like the JeM. There is no denying that the decision to send Mirage jets across the Line of Control (LoC) to fire missiles 70 km inside Pakistan represents a major shift. During the Kargil war in 1999, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had drawn a red line over the IAF crossing the LoC, to avoid international recrimination. This strike was carried out in Pakistani territory, not in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the theatre for retaliatory action in the past. It is still to be determined how far the JeM has been set back, but the strikes mark a new chapter with New Delhi’s willingness to push the war against terror into Pakistan territory. The government has judged, perhaps correctly, that global opinion has shifted and there is little tolerance today for terror groups that continue to find shelter on Pakistan soil. Significantly, with the exception of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, there has been no global criticism of India’s statement on the strikes, and most have just counselled restraint to both countries.
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for a joint session of Parliament and for its diplomats to raise the matter at international fora. He has convened a meeting of the National Command Authority that oversees Pakistan’s nuclear policy. However, Pakistan’s options are limited. It could continue to deny that the Indian strike caused any damage on the ground, andobviate the need for retaliatory strikes; or it could escalate the situation with a military response. It could also make a break from its past, and begin to shut down the terror camps on its soil, which would win friends internationally and ensure peace in the region. The Modi government would do well to continue the restrained approach it has adopted after the latest operation, and avoid the triumphalism that clouded the ‘surgical strikes’ of September 2016. With a response to Pulwama duly executed, it must reach out to residents of J&K who have borne the brunt of the jingoismunleashed after Pulwama. In the long term, building strong counter-terror defences, partnering with its own citizens to gather intelligence, and creating deterrents will be key.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) calibrated
Meaning : (of an instrument) marked with a scale of readings(adj).
Synonyms : adjust
Antonyms : ignore
Example : “the position of a pointer on a calibrated scale”
2) manifest
Meaning : clear or obvious to the eye or mind(adj).
Synonyms : palpable
Antonyms : hidden
Example : “her manifest charm and proven ability”
3) diplomatic
Meaning : of or concerning diplomacy(adj).
Synonyms : gracious
Antonyms : rude
Example : “diplomatic relations with Britain were broken”
4) pre-emptive
Meaning : serving or intended to pre-empt or forestall something, especially to prevent attack by disabling the enemy(adj).
Synonyms : preventative
Antonyms : reactive
Example : “a pre-emptive strike”
5) imminent
Meaning : about to happen(adj).
Synonyms : immediate
Antonyms : avoidable
Example : “they were in imminent danger of being swept away”
6) ensured
Meaning : make certain that (something) will occur or be the case(v).
Synonyms : assure
Antonyms : endanger
Example : “the client must ensure that accurate records are kept”
7) escalatory
Meaning : increase rapidly(v).
Synonyms : mount
Antonyms : decline
Example : “the price of tickets escalated”
8) aggression
Meaning : feelings of anger or antipathy resulting in hostile or violent behaviour(n); readiness to attack or confront.
Synonyms : assault
Example : “his chin was jutting with aggression”
9) exhausted
Meaning : (of resources or reserves) completely used up(adj).
Synonyms : disabled
Antonyms : active
Example : “Kirov spat, his patience suddenly exhausted”
10) curbing
Meaning : restrain or keep in check(v).
Synonyms : barrier
Antonyms : inside
Example : “she promised she would curb her temper”
11) retaliatory
Meaning : (of an action) characterized by a desire for revenge(adj).
Synonyms : penal
Antonyms : beneficial
Example : “fears of a retaliatory attack by the victim’s friends”
12) restraint
Meaning : a measure or condition that keeps someone or something under control(n).
Synonyms : caution
Antonyms : assistance
Example : “decisions are made within the financial restraints of the budget”
13) convened
Meaning : come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble(v).
Synonyms : gather
Antonyms : disperse
Example : “he had convened a secret meeting of military personnel”
14) obviate
Meaning : remove (a need or difficulty)(v).
Synonyms : preclude
Antonyms : support
Example : “the presence of roller blinds obviated the need for curtains”
15) unleashed
Meaning : release (a dog) from a leash(v).
Synonyms : free
Antonyms : hold
Example : “they dig up badger setts and unleash terriers into them”
16) deterrents
Meaning : a thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something(n).
Synonyms : hindrance
Antonyms : assistance
Example : “cameras are a major deterrent to crime”
