Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday suggested a strong two pronged retaliatory strategy against Pakistan and the extremist separatist groups in Kashmir for ensuring permanent peace and prevention of any such future strikes by the terrorists.
“All retaliatory options short of war must be explored and executed,” he said, adding that it was the issue of maintaining the morale of the Army as 20 soldiers had died in the attack while about 70 others are injured.
“This is absolutely unacceptable…India should explore the options of preemptive strikes as carried out by Israel,” he said.
On Pakistan being a nuclear state and its Defence Minister warning retaliatory nuclear strikes, the former Chief Minister retorted, “So are we and we have more nuclear arsenal, capacity and capability.”
“Just because somebody was trying to threaten you, out of own fear and frustration, does not mean you must not retaliate and reciprocate in the same measure,” he said.
A former army-man, Capt Amarinder attributed the weak and soft policy adopted by the government towards the Kashmiri separatists for the rise of such incidents. “Till you don’t break the back of the militancy in Kashmir and those who are aiding and guiding it, they will not come to the negotiating table”, he said, while calling for ending the appeasement policy.
“Don’t talk to anybody till you don’t break the back of the militancy there”, he advised the Central Government, adding that the goodwill missions do not serve any purpose under these circumstances and these goodwill gestures are only taken to be as weakness.
The former Chief Minister also sought an inquiry into the lapses that led to the attack and loss of so many precious lives in Uri. The commanding officer and the brigade commandant responsible must be taken to task as it was a serious lapse on their part, he added.