Desk Report :Following a rare cross-border attack conducted by the Indian Army in Myanmar, Junior Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that based on intelligence “we will carry out surgical strikes at the place and time of our own choosing”, report says.”Western disturbances will also be equally dealt with,” the Information Minister said during a press briefing on Wednesday when asked if attacks could be carried out on the western (Pakistan) border, according to a report published on IBNLive.The statements came after the Minister lauded the Indian Army and Air Force for their operation in Myanmar that killed 20 suspected militants on Tuesday.”Our PM ordered hot pursuit in which two camps were completely annihilated. While the army carried out the strike, helicopters were on stand-by,” he said.The Minister added that the operations were a message for all neighbours of India who harbour terror groups.”Friendship and zero tolerance will go hand in hand. This is a beginning. India is strong. This message should go to everyone,” he said.The Minister also hinted that the operation against Myanmar’s northeast militants has altered India’s strategy in dealing with such groups.”I think it was the need of the hour as well, the entire nation wanted it and that’s perhaps a reason why they voted a strong government at the Centre. It had become like a habit [for terrorists]. It is not like a ‘kushti’ match that if you go back into your area nobody will catch you. This message is very critical that we will strike you wherever you are,” he said.Rathore referred to the surgical strike inside Myanmar as an “unprecedented” and “extremely bold” step by the Indian government.”Myanmar is a friendly nation and therefore there was complete cooperation, if the need required” Rathore said when asked whether the operation had support of the Myanmar government and army. The minister added that the operation was carried out by the Special Forces “entirely on their own.”India has long blamed top Pakistan for stoking a revolt in Muslim-majority Kashmir as well as giving material support to militants for attacks in other parts of India, including a bloody 2008 assault in the city of Mumbai.Pakistan denies the accusation and says it is fighting militants.Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long advocated a tough stance towards Pakistan including the option of hot pursuit of militants. Since coming to power Modi has sought to ease tension but ties remain fragile.Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said last month that his Indian counterpart’s recent statement about sponsoring terrorism to counter terrorism had confirmed “our assertions of Indian involvement in terrorist activities on Pakistani soil”.He had said the statement of Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was a blatant admission of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.Last month, the military’s top brass accused the Indian intelligence agency RAW of supporting terrorism in Pakistan. RAW has often been blamed by law-enforcement agencies for being involved in subversive activities in Pakistan.Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry had also said the Indian intelligence agency is involved in various terrorist activities across Pakistan.Also read: RAW involved in terrorist activities across Pakistan: Foreign SecretaryChaudhry added that the matter had been taken up “a number of times” at the highest level with India through diplomatic channels.Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday morning that the Indian Army’s operation to neutralise two camps of militants on Tuesday has led to a “change in mindset.””Change requires a change in mindset. A simple action against insurgents has changed the mindset of the security scenario of the country,” said the Defence Minister.Mr Parrikar also said, “Those who fear India’s new posture have started reacting,” in what is seen as a reference to a Pakistani Minister warning on Wednesday that “Pakistan is not like Myanmar.”Pakistan’s Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan’s statement was in response to Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s remarks in an interview that India’s military action in Myanmar to hit back at militants who killed 18 soldiers in Manipur was a message to other countries.To a specific question on whether he meant dealing with cross border terrorism from Pakistan, Mr Rathore had said, “It is undoubtedly a message to all nations that harbour any intentions – be it the west or the specific country we went into right now.”Today, Mr Parrikar refused to go into details of Tuesday’s operations, in which the Indian Army liquidated two camps of militants inside Myanmar territory in a 45-minute surgical strike carried out by a team of the elite 21 Para (Special Forces).He also refused to comment on a Myanmar official denying that the Indian army carried out its ops inside its territory. The Myanmar government has made contradictory statements in the last two days about the operation.Zaw Htay, director of the office of Myanmar President Thein Sein, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as confirming the Indian operation in his country. “He said that there was ‘coordination and cooperation’ between the Indian troops and Myanmar’s armed forces based in the area of the raids, but added that no Myanmar soldiers were directly involved,” Wall Street Journal reported. In a Facebook post, also on Wednesday, Zaw Htay, however said, “According to the information sent by Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) battalions on the ground, we have learned that the military operation was performed on the Indian side at India-Myanmar border.”BBC Online report says : The Indian army has attacked rebel camps inside Myanmar, days after at least 20 of its soldiers were killed in an ambush on a troop convoy in north-east India, a minister has said.Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the troops had destroyed two rebel camps in Myanmar and “returned safely”. Senior army officer Ranbir Singh said the operation “inflicted significant casualties” on the Indian rebels.Last week’s ambush occurred near the border with Myanmar in Manipur state.The Indian army had launched a massive search involving hundreds soldiers and helicopters to track down the rebels, who were reported to have crossed the porous border into Myanmar (also known as Burma) from Manipur’s Chandel district after the ambush.
