India News

One year after Surgical Strike: A look at what India achieved

Published

9 years ago

September 28, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Indian Army on the intervening night of September 28-29, last year, sent a special team of commandos to cross the LoC and attack terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

It’s been a year since the Indian Army carried out surgical strike along the Line of Control (LoC), to bring down terror launch pads in neighboring Pakistan. However, what the country achieved through one of the Army’s major military operation still remains a debatable issue. While many argue that the surgical strike was intended to serve the government’s political aim to demonstrate its capabilities to fight terror, several others believe that the strike was actually the biggest blow to Pakistan’s terror-funding strategies. Here is a look at the operation and how the events unfolded in its aftermath.

Execution:

The Indian Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, last year, sent a special team of commandos to cross the LoC and attack terror bases in the south Pir Panjal range of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Army’s operation came as a response to the Uri attacks, where four armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants attacked army bases at Uri on September 19, claiming the lives of 19 jawans. Following the deadly Uri attack, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came under pressure, with infuriated citizens expecting a strong retaliation. And amid heated outrage across the country, the then Army Chief General Dalbir Singh and Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda held several meetings with PM Modi and the then Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar. Following days of discussion, the Indian Army sent two teams of special commandos to carry out the surgical strike at officially unknown terror bases in Pakistan, reportedly killing at least 38 militants.

However, the Modi government’s decision to declare the execution of the surgical strike, unlike the previous practice to keep such operations completely covert, escalated domestic pressure on the Pakistani rangers and the government led by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff. To manage the pressure, Pakistan resorted to complete denial. And, with a valid excuse of self-defense, India managed to keep international bodies distant from the entire episode. On the other hand, being unofficially convinced about Pakistan’s roles in backing terror outfits, major powers including United States and China stayed back from supporting Pakistan.

A year after Surgical Strike:

In a recent press conference, Army Chief Bipin Rawat lauded the success of the surgical strike and claimed, “The strike was a message we wanted to communicate to them and they have understood what we mean…that things could follow up, if required.” But, over frequent cross-border firings and infiltrations, he said, “terrorists will keep coming because the (terror) camps are operational there (across the LoC).”

While the total number of ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Rangers were 228 in 2016, this year the numbers have steeply risen to 285 till August 1. As many as eleven people, including nine armed force jawans have lost lives at the border in July, this year. Furthermore, the Pakistani forces resorted to 83 ceasefire violations, one Border Action Team (BAT) attack and two infiltration bids in June, claiming the lives of four, leaving behind 12 more injured.

Evidently invalidating the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, the neighbouring country reportedly carried out more than 450 ceasefire violations along the LoC since the Surgical Strike in PoK. The Indian Army has lost at least 70 soldiers at the border in Kashmir since the surgical strike, while only 38 jawans were martyred in 2016.

In retaliation, the Indian Army had killed more than 180 terrorists after the 28th September military operation, while only 100 militants were neutralized in the previous year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:Indian Army Pakistan Surgical Strike

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Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff

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Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as the Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat, a role he has held since September 2025. Before that, he served as Vice Chief of the Army Staff between July 2024 and July 2025.

A senior officer from the Garhwal Rifles, he was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1985 and has held several important operational and command positions during his military career. He has commanded formations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and along the western front.

Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He also studied at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He holds a Master’s degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from the University of Madras.

The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in 2020 to improve coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force. General Bipin Rawat became India’s first CDS, followed by General Anil Chauhan in 2022. Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani will become the country’s third CDS after assuming office.

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Bengal to get BJP’s first CM as Suvendu Adhikari set to take oath today

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Suvendu Adhikari is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, becoming the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to head the state government.

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PM Modi to lead Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations with grand roadshow in Gujarat

PM Modi is set to visit Somnath Temple in Gujarat for the Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations marking 75 years of the temple’s reconstruction, with a roadshow and religious ceremonies planned.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Somnath Temple in Gujarat on May 11 to lead the ‘Somnath Amrit Parv’ celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the temple’s reconstruction.

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The visit comes months after PM Modi attended the Somnath Swabhiman Parv held earlier this year, which commemorated 1,000 years since the first recorded attack on the temple in 1026.

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Somnath reconstruction anniversary

The celebrations mark 75 years since the reconstructed Somnath Temple was inaugurated in 1951 in the presence of India’s first President Rajendra Prasad. The reconstruction effort after Independence was led under the vision of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and supported by leaders including K.M. Munshi.

State minister Jitu Vaghani said the temple’s restoration remains a symbol of national self-respect and resilience.

After the Somnath events, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Vadodara to inaugurate the Sardardham Educational Complex. Preparations are also underway for a possible roadshow in the city later in the day.