Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi recalls 2016 surgical strike ahead of its 10th anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday recalled the 2016 surgical strike and said the military operation demonstrated Indias approach to responding to terrorism as the country prepares to mark 10 years since the operationAddressing the 138th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat Modi said the Indian Army carried out the operation on September 2829 2016 targeting terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control LoCThe Prime Minister described the operation as a significant event in Indias response to terrorism and said it had drawn international attention to the countrys approachModi recalls 2016 surgical strikePM Modi said the country was set to complete 10 years of the surgical strike and recalled the role of the armed forces in the operationldquoWe talk about the achievements of the country One such major historical achievement of Bharat is set to complete 10 years in a days time This achievement is the surgical strike Ten years ago on 2829 September 2016 the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan The world was astonished to see how our brave soldiers took action against terrorism by crossing the Line of Control LoC Our Jawans treated the terrorists and amazed the world The surgical strike showcased Indias antiterrorism policy to the worldThe 2016 operation was carried out days after an attack on an Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir The Indian Army announced the operation on September 29 2016 saying its objective was to prevent armed groups from infiltrating across the LoCModi said the operation represented what he described as Indias response to the longterm impact of terrorismldquoDue to terrorism India has felt pain for so long Against that pain our befitting reply was the surgical strikerdquo he saidPM says India has adopted zerotolerance approachModi also said India had demonstrated in recent years that terrorist attacks would draw a strong responseldquoIn the last few years India has repeatedly given a response that if terrorists lay their eyes on India they will face strict actionrdquoThe Prime Minister linked his remarks to previous attacks in India and recalled incidents that had resulted in significant civilian casualtiesHe referred specifically to the serial blasts in Delhi on September 13 2008 and the November 26 2008 terror attacks in MumbaildquoTerrorist attacks have hurt Bharat for a long time There was a time when serial blasts were a common occurrence in Bharat On 13 September 2008 in Delhis serial blasts many innocent people were killed Just a few weeks later the massive 2611 attack took place in Mumbai Earlier too after every terrorist attack action was demanded against Pakistan but not enough attention was paid to them People used to wait for time to pass Now todays Bharat is moving forward with a zerotolerance policy against terrorism and we are seeing its results as wellModi recalls 2008 Mumbai attacksThe Prime Minister also recalled the 2611 attacks in Mumbai while discussing Indias experience with terrorismThe coordinated attacks began on November 26 2008 and targeted several locations in Mumbai The attacks continued for several days and killed more than 160 peopleModi said the series of attacks had shaped Indias experience with terrorism and reinforced the need for a sustained responseHis remarks came ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 military operation which has remained a significant part of the governments public messaging on Indias counterterrorism approachPM remembers Indian victims of 911 attacksModi also referred to the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and noted that Indian nationals were among those who diedldquoThis year it has been 25 years since the 911 attacks The World Trade Center where many Americans lost their lives also saw many Indians among the victims I remember when I went to America in 2014 after becoming Prime Minister I paid my tribute to the Indian civilians who lost their livesrdquoThe September 11 attacks involved the hijacking of four commercial aircraft by members of alQaeda Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York another struck the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in PennsylvaniaThe attacks killed nearly 3000 people and led to a major transformation in international counterterrorism policies and security measuresSurgical strike anniversary comes amid focus on securityModis remarks on the surgical strike came as his government continues to highlight national security and Indias military capabilities in public communicationsIn previous Mann Ki Baat episodes the Prime Minister has also discussed developments related to national security and defence In June for instance he spoke about indigenous defence production and the induction of domestically designed and manufactured naval vesselsWith inputs from IANS