After Pathankot it is difficult to believe that a similar security breach could repeat itself in Uri leading to the loss of lives of 18 soldiers. The assault by Pakistani trained terrorists appeared too easy and glib and raises many uncomfortable questions. Who is to be held accountable for such a major security lapse which at once puts paid to the claims that the Indian army is one of the best trained force in the world and is always on ‘attack’ mode. That this army which is to secure the country’s borders could fail to secure the lives of its own men speaks poorly about India’s internal security architecture. Investigations carried out by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) say the major fatalities happened inside the cook house and store room which was set on fire and bolted from outside by the suicide bombing terrorists. NIA sources also claim that the terrorists spent a whole day in the mountains observing the activities and routine of the Indian soldiers to detect the chinks in their security armour so that they could catch them off guard and take advantage of those security lapses. Officers who have served in those areas wonder how security breaches of such a grave nature could arise in a high security zone.
The sabre-rattling by retired and serving army officers and diplomats in television studious after this horrendous attack hardly helps the cause. It further exposes our inability to work out coordinated strategies by the country’s collective internal intelligence agencies in the boardrooms where state secrets can be discussed without the fear of their being leaked out, thereby keeping the enemy on eternal guard. Television studious are only virtual war zones and war mongering inside those studious does no good to the image of India. And while the blame game continues and Pakistan is labeled as the terrorist hub of South Asia even as India tries to drive home this point at strategic international fora, there are a few lessons that its politicians can imbibe. When it comes to the country’s security there can be no politics. The best minds from different political parties should converge. The habit of scoring brownie points on the country’s internal and external security policy lapses puts India in poor light. When will Indian politicians learn that the country’s interests are larger than their petty political games?