Is opposition right in demanding quick action from Indian armed forces?

In 1939, the Nazi Germany launched “Blitzkrieg” on Poland which caused the entire defense machinery of Poland to collapse within less than a month. Element of surprise plays a vital role in any conflict. However, it requires years of preparation to launch a surprise assault on the enemy. It took around seven years of rigorous preparations for the Nazi Germany to plan and implement its aggressive policy on Poland and the eastern Europe.

In context of the ongoing friction between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, some opposition parties are questioning the delay in giving a befitting reply to Pakistan. I disagree with opposition’s stand on this and think that it is making these statements to gain political milage. While the leader of the opposition, Mr. Rahul Gandhi has stated that he firmly stands with whatever action Indian government takes, some of the leaders in his party have expressed their concern over delay in kinetic action by the Indian armed forces.

These leaders have to go back into history and contemplate what Chief Marshal Sam Manekshaw said to Mrs. Indira Gandhi when she asked him to cross the Bangladesh border. Chief Marshal Sam clearly conveyed to the then Prime minister that in order to guarantee a hundred percent victory, he needs a few months to prepare. In another statement by Major General (Retired) G.D Bakshi, Indian army (or as a matter of fact, any army) works best when it prepares methodically.

It is always better for an army to prepare itself for a conflict instead of diving in with blind eyes and losing a war. There is no bigger embarrassment for an armed force of any country to face a loss in the battlefield. It puts a blemish on the face of a country and makes people loose faith in its armed forces. Consider what happened to IPKF in Sri Lanka in 1989. Indian army went in there and had to face causalities. We should never lose sight of the reality that these are two nuclear armed countries locked in horns. Even a strong country like Israel took around twenty days to launch its attack on Hamas, and they were dealing with an organization, not a nuclear armed country like Pakistan.

I do have a strong stand that the terrorist ecosystem of Pakistan cannot be completely dismantled though military might alone, but if the war is imposed on India and if it is absolutely unavoidable, then it is better to prepare for it meticulously.

It is the time that the opposition leaders taking a dig at the Indian armed forces take a step back and unite with the country in these trying times. It is a time when people, especially at the helm, take a rational approach and take into account repercussions of every action without just beating the war drums.