Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has questioned why all-party delegations of MPs have been sent to 33 countries to explain about Operation Sindoor. He said, “on one hand terrorists who massacred 26 Indians in Pahalgam are roaming around in J&K, our MPs are roaming around the world. The priority should be nabbing the terrorists, not sending MPs to other countries. That is the real issue.”
Jairam Ramesh knows that MPs like Shashi Tharoor, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Salman Khursheed, all experienced leaders, are part of these all-party delegations. They have been sent to project India’s stand on the issue of Pakistan’s pro-active role in promoting terrorism.
Congress party is clearly divided on this issue. On one hand, Rahul Gandhi is questioning how many IAF jet fighters have been shot down by Pakistan, one of his party leaders in Maharashtra, Vijay Wadettiwar questioned the rationale behind using missiles to shoot down drones. He said, “Pakistan fired 5,000 Chinese-made drones may be costing Rs 15,000 each, but we shot missiles worth Rs 15 lakhs each to destroy these drones.” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has described the four-day-long conflict as a “chutput war” (skirmish).
I think, Kharge should have asked Pakistan, since it was a ‘chutput war’ and 100 of your terrorists were killed, did others suffer serious injuries? He could have asked Pakistani generals and leaders whether they flowed copious tears when they attended the funeral of terrorists?
The Congress leader from Maharashtra should have asked Gen. Asim Munir whether you incurred huge losses because you sent so many drones which were hit? He could have also asked the Pak general how many of his planes were damaged in IAF attacks on 11 Pakistani airbases? Rather, these leaders should have asked Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif, under whose pressure he promoted his Army Chief to Field Marshal rank despite incurring crores of losses? These leaders should have asked Pakistan why their DGMO rang up seeking a ceasefire?
They could also have asked whether Pakistani nuclear bombs came within the range of Indian missiles? Conversely, Congress leaders are raising questions for our army. They are asking how many Indian jet fighters were shot down? They are asking why lakhs of rupees worth missiles were wasted in downing cheap Chinese-made drones?
Somebody should ask these Congress leaders: Does the army carries its books of accounts to the warfront? Does it fire weapons by counting pennies?
Let this message be conveyed loud and clear: The nation will not flinch even if crores of rupees are spent to defeat Pakistan and neutralize the terrorists.
Can General Munir save Pakistan?
Speculations are rife in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities of Pakistan about the durability of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government after it promoted Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir to Field Marshal rank. There are speculations that the new Field Marshal may decide to impose martial law. Most of the intellectuals in Pakistan agree that it was not Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet, but the Army Chief himself who promoted himself to Field Marshal rank.
The catch is that, once an Army Chief becomes a Field Marshal, he gains complete immunity from legal hassles in future. No court case can be field against the Field Marshal. In other words, Asim Munir will be above law. He is the second army officer to get Field Marshal rank, after dictator Ayub Khan conferred the Field Marshal rank on himself in 1959 after a military coup. Normally Field Marshal rank is conferred on those officers who score spectacular victories in war, but here, Asim Muneer got this promotion after his army begged for a ceasefire after facing humiliation in the four-day conflict.
Jailed former PM Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said, Shehbaz Sharif should have declared Asim Munir the Emperor of Pakistan instead of promoting him to Field Marshal rank.
What Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir achieved has no parallels in the annals of military history. Indian Air Force destroyed nine terror headquarters deep inside Pakistan, and Muneer got his medal. Indian Air Force damaged 11 Pakistani air bases and Munir got his promotion.
Pakistan’s entire air defence system was destroyed and Munir got service extension. More than 800 Pakistani drones were shot down, and Pakistan declared itself winner. Several hundred soldiers of Munir’s army were killed, but he got a promotion. Munir’s DGMO begged for a ceasefire with India and saved his country from Armageddon, and Muneer got his reward as Field Marshal.
In spite of so many failures on almost every front, an army officer can get a promotion. This can happen only in Pakistan. There, generals promote themselves. People are now awaiting when Field Marshal Asim Munir will promote himself to his next position as Martial Law Administrator by dislodging Shehbaz government. Since Shehbaz Sharif can no more divest Munir of his Field Marshal rank, the only option left is for Asim Munir to unseat Shehbaz Sharif from the chair of Prime Minister.