From Namo to Rambo

 

You don’t say!
Darius Nakhoonwala

 

 

 It is good to see that nationalistic pride still resides somewhere in the deep recesses of the hearts of edit writers. The Indian Army’s little raid into Myanmar seems to have prodded it from its slumber. The result was that even the Telegraph, which takes its own time in responding to current events, quickly wrote an edit. And of course everyone else did, too.

 But it never does to sound triumphant. So all of them - except the Pioneer - took exactly the same line: well done but don’t boast. That last was a reference to the chest-thumping by a junior minister, that too in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

 He should have kept quiet, true. But the papers too need not have taken note of some silly tweets from him, especially since he is an ex-army officer who might have felt justifiably proud and vindicated.

 Indeed, I had expected the edits to focus on the message to Pakistan and China. They only mentioned that in passing.

The Indian Express called it a “defining moment” which it said had been made possible by “years of patient diplomacy which had led to Myanmar’s assent to India’s raid…The risk was taken and for that act of courage, the prime minister must get credit.”

 Then came the inevitable grumble. “Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s references to the prime minister’s chest measurements, and his delight in the act of “revenge”, may please juveniles on Twitter, but are not the stuff that serious government is made of.”

Then the Pakistan thing. “India’s discovery that it can use force may be overdue, but it must now learn it is best applied only as a precision instrument.” That is, don’t do it against Pakistan because it can escalate easily.

 

The Hindu had this to say “While India makes it clear that as a nation it would not take attacks such as this lying down, the Myanmar operation sends its own signal to the rest of South Asia... The operation by the Indian Special Forces can only be welcomed. But at the same time, collateral damage in government-to-government relationships must be avoided.” Now, whatever does that mean? Leave Pakistan alone?

 

The Telegraph did not mention Pakistan but it wholeheartedly endorsed the Prime Minister’s decision saying “This marks a departure in the aims of the government of India to pursue and suppress insurgents…This act of retaliation by the government of India is a signal to other neighbours…

 

“The velvet glove of diplomacy, to be effective, has to cover the mailed fist of military action...It is clear from reports that such steps are also being put in place. Insurgents are no longer safe from India beyond India's borders.”

 

The Times of India first went into a deeply knowledgeable analysis whose correctness only time will tell. It then added that “triumphalist statements emanating from certain quarters of government are unhelpful… Rajyavardhan Rathore has asserted that the cross-border operation was a message to all countries, including Pakistan, that harbour groups inimical to India. However, surgical strikes on terror camps inside Pakistan would be a different ball game. They are nurtured by the Pakistani state and Islamabad has been war-gaming such scenarios for long.” It said diplomacy was a better option.

The Hindustan Times said “There is no doubt that the strike in Myanmar was a success… but it’s advisable to not get carried away by its success and dangerous to suggest that it was also a “message to all countries, including Pakistan...” such statements rob Tuesday’s attack of its legitimacy…also, it is preposterous to suggest that such an operation can be conducted on our western border, given that it is unlikely Islamabad will co-operate with New Delhi.”

 The Pioneer was the only one to approve “As a Union Minister remarked, it was ‘unprecedented and bold’... apprehension ought to spread among militant groups operating elsewhere too - along the India-Pakistan line, for instance. Of course, the dynamics are different…Given that diplomacy has got us nowhere despite years of effort, perhaps ‘hot pursuit' into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where militant camps are flourishing, will be seriously contemplated by the Modi regime. 

“In doing so, while the Government should naturally take into consideration the fallouts, it must not be overly sensitive to external opinion.”

 

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