The Indian Army’s response to the September 18 attack on its base camp in Uri by the means of a ‘surgical strike’ has raised many an eyebrow on either side of the border. While Pakistan has alleged that nothing of that sort ever happened, a certain section of the Indian populace has joined our neighbours in the arms and have asked for the proof of such an encounter.
These two sections of the crowd kept aside, there are those who stand firmly behind the armed forces and take pride in the operation carried out by the soldiers to avenge the loss of a countless number of their own brothers.
For commoners like you and me, not only was this a moment of pride as we revelled in the realisation of the fact that the Indian Army knew how to avenge the atrocities meted out to it, but it also satisfied the collective conscience of the people who were both angry and disappointed by the frequent violations of the cross-border ceasefire by Pakistan.
Even though the after-effects of the operation were known to everyone, the basic idea behind the counter-attack and the methods used for it still remained a mystery for many. To this end, popular TV and movie actress, Pallavi Joshi, came to the rescue of those who were still confused about what ‘surgical strike’ actually is, through a YouTube video wherein she elucidated the nature, manner and the method of such an operation through a cricket example.
Surgical Strike explained through India-Pakistan cricket match
The scene of an India vs Pakistan match was set, as Joshi asks the viewers to imagine Shoaib Akhtar bowling to Sachin Tendulkar. The on-field umpires were touted as two ‘powerful’ nations in a possible bid to hint at China and the United States of America, who, it is believed, seek favours to and from Pakistan, whereas the third umpire was compared to the United Nations Organisations (UNO).
She then moves on to explain how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has been hampering India’s interests by comparing the cross-border strikes to the bouncers shelled out by Akhtar to Tendulkar while overstepping at the bowling crease.
The umpires (the on-field ones) are shown to have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Pakistani’s malpractices, in an intended dig at the USA and China who have been more about words and less about actions when it comes to their foreign policy pertaining to India and Pakistan.
Watching the things unfold in such an audacious manner, she goes on to explain, Tendulkar and his batting partner at the non-striker’s end, Rahul Dravid, decide to formulate a strategy in order to counter the injustice meted out to them by their opponents.
When Akhtar goes back to mark his run-up for the next delivery, Dravid, who is at the non-striker’s end quietly observes the manner in which the Pakistani has gripped the ball and through a ‘surgical’ gesture conveys to Tendulkar about the kind of delivery that the bowler is about to bowl.
Tendulkar, being the master that he is, reads the signal given to him by his batting partner and within the blink of an eye, flashes his blade and plays a superfluous straight-drive to leave the Pakistanis befuddled.
All of a sudden Pakistan realises that the tides have changed and that the Indians have found a way to counter the oppression and retaliate to the relentless attack. The possibility of a defeat leaves them stunned and in a state of disarray.
Consequently, they start questioning the validity of the shot played by Tendulkar stating that they didn’t see it. They argue that since they didn’t see the batsman hitting the shot they would not believe that any such thing happened.
A dig at cross-border terrorism
This is in direct relation to Pakistan’s allegations that nothing like a ‘surgical strike’ happened since there was no proof available to demonstrate the same. However, Indian Army in close synchronisation with the Government of India had carried out the operation with such a surgical precision and speed that no one could exactly replicate as to what happened.
Joshi’s demonstration was indeed spectacular as she used the next best thing to an actual India-Pakistan war, an India-Pakistan cricket match, to explain how and why the strikes were carried out. However, she doesn’t stop here. In an attempt to target the Indian brethren who is still suspicious about the veracity of the operation carried out, she brings to the picture those players who couldn't make it to the playing XI and who joined the Pakistanis in their attempt to nullify Tendulkar's shot.
By this example, the intentions were quite clear. Petty accusations for political gains have marred the sentiments of our brave soldiers and their families as some of the well-known Indian personalities have questioned whether the strikes actually happened.
Concluding the video, the actress explained that the strikes are carried out with such precision that only the targetted areas in the enemy territory are encroached upon, leaving the other parts untouched in the same manner as a doctor addresses an ailment by operating only the diseased organ, leaving the other organs untouched.
The 'top secret' nature of the operation was also explained by mentioning that from the time the strikes are planned to the time they are executed, the mission is kept as a secret and even the soldiers do not talk about it amongst themselves.
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