Hailing the Surgical Strike during which the Indian Army carried out attack on the terror launch pads across the line of control into the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on September 29, 2016 as a historic move of the Centre, the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the strike had resulted in the death of 38 terrorists. He was addressing the felicitation function ‘Parakram Parva’, organised to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Surgical Strike at a local farm house on Canal Road, Dehradun on Saturday. The CM also felicitated the NCC Cadets during the programme. 

“It was a big bold decision. The Prime Minister and the country have immense faith in the capacity, courage, valour, self-determination and bravery of our soldiers. We were also successful diplomatically. The PM’S message to the neighbouring country is clear- dialogue and guns cannot go together,” he said.

Citing the data released by the police department of Jammu and Kashmir, CM Rawat said that as per the data, terror incidents in the long-troubled state have seen a marked decline.  “We can ascribe this to Operation ‘All Out’ launched in 2017. Besides, over 150 militants have been killed so far this year,” he said. He further said that India does not believe in expansion. “But we are determined to protect our country,” he added.

He congratulated the brave soldiers fighting to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. “They personify courage and heroism.  The nation salutes them,” he said. He expressed the hope that the long-festering Kashmir tangle would be resolved soon. 

Exhorting the common people to stand solidly behind the armed forces to further raise their morale and the will to fight the enemies of the nation and protect its geographical sovereignty, he said that this is what is now needed.    

On the occasion, MLA Ganesh Joshi said that the state government is fully committed to the welfare of the soldiers and their families. “The provision of employment has been made by the state government for one family member of a martyred soldier. In order to solve the problems of the soldiers, one ADM level official has been appointed as the nodal officer in each district. Arrangements of one residential building each in Dehradun and Haldwani have been made for the students from the families of the soldiers,” he said.

On the occasion, MLAs -Harbans Kapoor, Umesh Sharma Kau,  Khajan Dass and Munna Singh Chauhan- besides Lt Gen Anand Swaroop and  Lt Gen O P  Kaushik along with a large number of ex-servicemen were present.