Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retd), the former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, was at the helm when the Indian Army conducted a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC), targetting terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in retaliation for the deadly Uri attack in September 2016. Lt. Gen. Hooda, who had a distinguished four-decade-long career during which he played a crucial role in managing security challenges along India’s borders with both Pakistan and China and one of the erudite military leaders, talks to Mayank Singh about issues arising out of the Pahalgam terror-strike. Excerpts: It has been more than 10 days since the terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam. What is your observation specific to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir?My sense is that things were getting better, particularly in Kashmir. For a couple of years, terrorist incidents shifted to the Jammu region. In Kashmir, I am not saying that incidents were not happening, but the overall violence was reducing, and it was leading to rising tourist footfall. It wasn’t as if Pakistan had given up everything.Does it mean things in the Valley will witness a return to how things were earlier?Yes, the Pahalgam incident is big. But I don’t see this completely changing everything in J&K. If people think that after this incident, terrorists will gain a foothold, there will be a breakdown in law and order, and terrorists will roam free carrying out more attacks, or the success in bringing down the violence and attacks in the last four to five years will be overturned, that is not going to happen.What will happen is that development work may slow down, and the Valley will see a decrease in tourists, hampering the local industry. The locals may face an economic decline. I repeat, the Pahalgam incident is horrific.Will there be some gains for Pakistan at the international level?Pakistan’s attempt has always been to internationalise the whole Jammu & Kashmir issue. What the Pahalgam attack has done is bring Kashmir back into the spotlight, with more news coverage in India and internationally. I don’t see Kashmir as an issue that commands as much attention as in the past.What is your suggestion about Kashmir in light of the prevailing tensions?Amidst the chaos post-attack, we have also seen some positive things, and we should not fritter them; use them as opportunities. We saw locals, at multiple places, coming out condemning the killings and the J&K Assembly passing a resolution condemning the attack. My only thinking is to take steps to reinforce these. I hope it doesn’t get frittered, and the government has to see how to exploit it. We have often opted for harsh steps, but now it requires a better outreach to reinforce the sentiments among the people against the terrorists. Internally, we need to reach out to the people. Local politicians used to say talk to Pakistan; you don’t hear it anymore, even among the locals; this is an opportunity to do greater outreach internally.The government must chip in to help the economy, which should send a message to the locals: look, here we are for you. Meanwhile, by all means, we must send a strong message to Pakistan with a tough approach.There have been messages of support for India from leaders of other countries.Definitely, countries have come out in support of India. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Jaishankar and Shehbaz Sharif, but his message, as reported in the media, was almost similar: Let’s not escalate. It’s not as if unequivocal support and de-escalation are sort of saying don’t do anything. Yes, there is international support for India, but nobody wants to see conflict begin.What about India’s options, like punitive action against terrorists and Pakistan?I get a sense that people are urging caution. We are on a growth path. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is a good step. Let’s opt for such measures and continue to put pressure. I don’t know. Political leadership will have pressure, and that’s what everybody is thinking. As time passes, the pressure on the government to do something will also reduce.Is there an option to use the military?The decision ultimately has to be made by the government. From a military perspective, after the 2016 Army attack and the 2019 airstrike, Pakistan must be much more prepared now. Undoubtedly, the 2016 completely surprised Pakistan, and the 2019 airstrike also caught them unprepared. So now, there is better preparation on both sides, and 10 days have already gone. We will have to weigh what has to be done and when and how it has to be done. These are decisions that the government will have to take, and the army will give its advice.
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