Sir — This refers to the article, “Soldiers aren’t cannon fodder” (March 4) by Deepak Sinha. While no one would disagree with the writer’s contention that soldiers aren’t cannon fodder, and his suggestion of using attack helicopters to neutralise terrorists inside multi-storied building in Pampore merits consideration, he has resorted to speculation to cast aspersions on the professionalism of our senior military leadership. The terror operation drew the attention of experts, including veterans .
I have succeeded in eliciting first-hand information from those who participated in the encounter and can emphatically say that there was no pressure from higher-ups to wrap up the operation in a hurry. The senior military leadership of today has risen through ranks with very rich experiences of such operations in Sri lanka, Kargil, Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East. To undermine its professionalism in dealing with counter-terror operations, and that too based on speculation, is wrong.