44
PANAJI (India): Faced with a barrage of criticism from various quarters over his statements on “cross-Line of Control strikes” by the army, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Sunday he had stopped using the word “strike”.
The minister has been facing criticism from the opposition for a flurry of remarks over the “surgical strikes” the Indian government claimed to have carried out in Azad Kashmir and which were denied by Pakistan.
“I will prefer to address the gathering in local language. I hardly get an opportunity to address in local language.
“But I promise you I will not touch any controversial issue. I have already stopped using the word strike,” Parrikar, who was in his home state of Goa, said during the inauguration of a helicopter engines maintenance unit in Sattari tehsil.
“You brought up the term (strike) in your speech, referring to labour issues,” he said on a lighter note after the speech by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar during the event.
On October 17, the minister had criticised those seeking proof for the “surgical strikes”.
Condemning Parrikar for rejecting its claim of “surgical strikes” having been undertaken by the army under the government led by it, Congress had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi rein in his belligerent minister and BJP chief Amit Shah, and apologise to the armed forces.
By arrangement with the Times of India
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2016
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (44) Closed
Oct 24, 2016 08:12am
And soon Surgical will also be removed from the Indian terminology, "Surgical Strike" was a pacifier for the 1 billion plus Indians.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:28am
Rofl.. indian defence minister was trying to take credit for surgical strike n opposition said credit should go to army.. for professional job done
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:33am
After some time they will forget about it too.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:34am
BJP govt is not good...... I mean not good for Pakistan. They talk too much and create insecurity within Pakistan.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:42am
This is what happen when you made up a story for political reasons.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:43am
It's internal politics, elections are ahead and the opposition is opposing the use of the word "strike".
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:46am
@Sachin They have made it very easy for a PAkistani to see who the real enemy is. Thank you.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:53am
@Sachin I would think too good for Pakistan as it forced Pakistan to rethink on its economic and regional policies that were otherwise not in the agenda of the current Pakistan govt.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 08:53am
@SACHIN, disagree, while claiming such fictional attack, BJP Govt. brings insecurity within India. India cannot be so foolish to attack Pakistan, they know the consequences.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:08am
Forget the past,look forward,there's a TAPI Gas line project ,which has to be completed ASAP ,there's a Power Supply plan from India to Pakistan,while yet talks timetable for transit trade,MFN, also on agenda of both trade ministries.To built CBM(Confidence Building Measures) both should cool down,and take preventive measures to stop all types of infiltration,on either side. And SAARC must be revived by refixing new date,and PM Modi must come to Pakistan,in any case,reconnect the broken thread.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:16am
Its election in India one of the biggest state, so all politics now. donts interprete as what you feel
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:22am
The crumbling lie of surgical strikes that only happened on Indian tv, not Pakistani territorry :)
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:45am
I originally doubted the claims by this chap. But the recent article on bbc news suggests that something dramatic and unexpected did happen that early morning which caught us by surprise and it appears that a response is in the works. In any case, the Indian establishment is becoming more loud mouthed in public about we knew they have been doing for many years.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:48am
@Sachin No insecurity in Pakistan, we are living our daily lives just fine. We have problems smaller than India, we have prosperity less than India, we poverty less than India. So you can see we both have some good and some bad. BJP hopefully does good to India, my prayers for our people in India also. Shanti.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:48am
No 'strike'; so You are left alone with only 'surgical'! But adjectives can't stand alone so what are you left with? Only a concoted past, or surgical past or surgical lie?
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 09:59am
It is very obvious that Indian media was bribed to make false statements about the surgical strikes. If you had the courage to do that we were ready but instead just false claims and firing from LOC. we want peace but know how to defend our motherland
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 10:14am
@Sachin
In the contrary, the BJP government in India united Pakistanis and Modi is the best thing that happened to Pakistan. He successfully changed Indian image in the world, he showed to true face of Indian hypocrisy. CPEC is a reality which India cannot digest. Not only China but other countries are now looking to invest in this historical project.
The world is learning how India is breeding terrorism in many parts Pakistan. Whether it is terrorism in Balochistan, in Karachi or in Pukhtunkhwa from Afghanistan side, the truth is coming out about Indian involvement. Things in Pakistan are getting ONLY better.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 10:24am
@Sachin
BJP government is just hopeless, they shamelessly lie to Indian public about fictional strikes, ridicule India worldwide and ger 14 soldiers killed and one POW.
If there government can only uplift 600 million out of poverty instead of war they will do Indians a favor.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 10:39am
@Haider If you really believe surgical strikes happened only on indian TVs means Pakistan suffered no damage whatsoever and indian public was made fool. This is better than dead people on both sides.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 10:50am
After some time he will also say that it was drama to mitigate the anger mounted in public. Wait and Watch.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 11:12am
Let's play cricket and make movies chai wala will also bring some chai warmongering only creates doom and gloom also stop blinding kids with pellets in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king and the innocents are silent.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 11:22am
no video proof that was promised..this is indian army n modis promise made back then..still nothing..keep waiting...they are still shooting..because take one was not good enough..strikes are done by america like they showed drone footage of stirkes in 24hours..india needs 24months haha...what they did was killed 2 army officer on that day from behind fence...bjp is making reputation for political gain..and they are playing with armys lives for political gain...this is not patriotism but abuse of power
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 11:29am
Surgical strike can only happen in Bollywood films, far from reality.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 12:15pm
Opposition parties in India criticising BJP Govt or Modi Policies because of elections in Uttar Pradesh. Oppositon parities knows it better that they are not going to win. Such acts always happanes during election
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 12:20pm
@Sachin "They talk too much and create insecurity within Pakistan"
Thats good for India - isn't the idea to keep the enemy feeling insecure and busy?
Otherwise the other option is to remain silent, allow them time & space to plan and hit our assets.
After decades we now have a leader strong enough to use aggressive tone & measures to answer back at sources of threats which endanger our territory and citizens.
Didn't the Indian electorate hired him for the same reason?
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 12:23pm
Elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Opposition criticising Modi Ji. No Problem. After elections, no one will criticise Modi Ji.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 12:42pm
Lie has endless kin while truth is purely alone. - (Late) Ashfaq Ahmed
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 01:00pm
Truth is the biggest casualty in India Pak relation, as we have such good relation. Indian govt says something which as an Indian I believe , similarly a Pakistani would believe the Pak Govt narrative.
We can only come to know the reality of the story after some books are written by some officers after they retire and by the time no action will be taken on the respective defaulter
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 01:34pm
Long live Pakistan
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 01:34pm
@Lakhkar Khan well said sir.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 03:17pm
I would say as far as Indian govt is concerned they have ample proof about strikes. Here Parikar is saying he won't use the word for political gains.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 03:20pm
@D.K. PAMNANI - So, such illusions work for Mr Ji for electioneering?
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 03:20pm
And another thing is not going into debate whether strikes happen or not but whole world inc Russia, France UK and US accepted India has right to do so is more worrying.Also is China's silence about strikes.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 04:19pm
@Syed - How did "Russia, France UK and US accept India has right to do so"?
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 04:21pm
Politics - in subcontinent style....never stops amusing me
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 05:31pm
@ Sachin, actually it brings insecurities to India only thanks
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 05:53pm
@Sachin Disagree, rather we would love to have govt. like BGP or similar minded people in India, which is causing big separation b/w different faiths, even promoting discrimination within different Hindu castes - in a long run you will see the results.
Recommend
0
Oct 24, 2016 06:43pm
@xyz-Indian read the BBC article on the issue which was published yesterday... it definitely wasn't a surgical strike, but on the other hand it wasn't as if nothing happened either. It seems India did take some action albeit not as they said.
Recommend
0
Oct 25, 2016 01:02am
@Zulfiqar India is not afraid of consequences. She doesn't even bother or care for it. Example is the "Surgical Strike" on Pakistan. We do not bother that Pakistan deny this truth.
Recommend
0
Oct 25, 2016 07:34pm
@Zulfiqar very well said.
Recommend
0
Oct 25, 2016 07:41pm
Its shame..
Recommend
0
Oct 26, 2016 05:14am
@Sachin;
' They talk too much and create insecurity within Pakistan.'
Don't mistake preparedness for insecurity. To the contrary, BJP government is very good for Pakistan. Our problem is confusion and BJP has done a lot to remove confusion, that is why I am also praying for Donald Trump but I am not too hopeful.
Recommend
0
Oct 26, 2016 05:23am
Religious fanatics in India would like to keep the Indian public stuck in a time warp and maintain 1971 mindset. While Indian policy makers know that the situation is more like 1965, except for the nuclear equalizer. The fanatics have a dire need to fabricate lies.
Recommend
0
Oct 26, 2016 05:26am
It is a bitter pill for the Indians to swallow that India with it's 1.2 billion population is in a military parity with a country 0f less than 0.2 billion people.
Recommend
0
