Remembering the Pulwama attack (2019) and India’s strategic reprisal against Pakistan

14^th February, celebrated as the raising day of the Indian Marine Commandos (MARCOS), has also come to be remembered as the Black day for India, when a convoy of Indian security personnel was attacked in Pulwama in 2019. Over 40 jawans were martyred, leaving 35 injured.

This year marks its 6^th Anniversary and to commemorate the lives lost, PM Narendra Modi paid his tribute to the brave. Taking to social media platform X, he stated “Homage to the courageous heroes we lost in Pulwama in 2019. The coming generations will never forget their sacrifice and their unwavering dedication to the nation”.

Home Minister Amit Shah also posted on X (in Hindi), stating “On behalf of the grateful nation, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who were martyred in the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama on this day in the year 2019. Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the entire human race and the whole world has united against it. Be it a surgical strike or an air strike, the Modi government is determined to completely destroy the terrorists by running a campaign with a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against them.”

Amongst the other Indian ministers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid homage to the CRPF personnel on platform X saying “On this day in 2019, India lost our brave CRPF personnel in a gruesome terrorist attack in Pulwama. Their sacrifice for the nation will never be forgotten. I pay homage to them and offer unwavering support to their families. India stands united in honouring their valor and we remain resolute in our fight against terrorism”

The Pulwama Attack

On 14^th February 2019, a convoy of 78 vehicles transporting more than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel enroute to Srinagar from Jammu was on National Highway 44 when it was attacked by a vehicle-borne fidayeen at Lethapora in the district of Pulwama. The convoy had reportedly departed Jammu at 03:30 hrs IST.

At 15.15 hrs, one of the buses carrying the security personnel was rammed by a car loaded with the explosives. The terrorist attack killed 40 CRPF personnel of the 76^th Battalion and injured several others.

The attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based terror outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). A video of the assailant Adil Ahmad Dar, 22, from Kakapora was also released by the outfit. It was reported that Dar had been a new recruit who had pledged his bayat to the outfit over a year ago. The family of the terrorist Dar claimed to have lost touch with the individual since March 2018.

Pakistan was quick to deny its involvement with regards to the orchestrated JeM attack. However, JeM’s leader, Masood Azhar, is known to operate from Pakistan and the outfit’s operations have remained far from clandestine with the blessings from Pakistan’s intelligence, ISI.

The Pulwama attack (2019) was one of the deadliest terror attacks on India’s state security personnel in Kashmir since 1989.

A team dispatched by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) worked in conjunction with the Jammu and Kashmir Police to investigate the attack. On basis of the initial investigations it was revealed that the car operated by Dar loaded with more than 300 kilograms (660 lb) of explosives, which included 80 kilograms (180 lb) of RDX, and ammonium nitrate.

Following the probe by the NIA, it was established and confirmed the identity of the suicide bomber. It was apparent that Pakistan may have been involved, hence India revoked Pakistan's most favored nation status. The customs duty on all Pakistani goods imported to India were raised to 200%.

Upon the request of the government of India, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) decided to place Pakistan on the blacklist. The FATF decided to keep it on the 'grey list' and gave Pakistan time till October 2019 to comply with the 27 conditions it had laid down in June 2018, when it was put on the 'grey list', with an attending caveat. It was reported that if Pakistan failed to comply with the FATF conditions it would be added to the blacklist. Furthermore, reports of Pakistan government revoking security provisions for its designated separatist leaders came to light. This reaffirmed the plausibility of Pakistan providing the safe haven to the likes of the terrorists designated by India and Pakistan’s alacrity to knowingly deny the already evident proof of its involvement.

The attack led to protests, shutdowns and candle light marches in India. Violent protests began in Jammu with a curfew being imposed. The Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom held protests outside the Pakistan High Commission in London. This also followed with a delegation of Indian doctors cancelling their visit to Pakistan for the 13th Association of Anaesthesiologists Congress, organised by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SARC), in Lahore that year.

Indian broadcaster DSport said it would no longer broadcast Pakistan Super League cricket matches. A ban was announced on actors and entertainers from Pakistan by the All Indian Cine Workers Association which further stated that a strong action would be taken against any organisation violating it.

The Indian Film and Television Directors Association also announced a ban on Pakistani artists in films and music produced in India.

Reports of a Pakistani prisoner Shakarullah, who serving a life term in India's Jaipur Central Jail under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, was stabbed and beaten to death by four other inmates also made the news on 20^th February 2019.

Following intelligence inputs, on18th February 2019, a joint team comprising 55 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and Special Operations Group of India killed two terrorists and two others involved in an anti-terrorism encounter operation in the ensuing manhunt for the perpetrators in Pulwama. One of them, Abdul Rasheed Ghazi alias Kamran, was identified as a Pakistani national and was considered to be the mastermind of the attack and also a commander of JeM. Additionally, local JeM recruit Hilal Ahmed, and his two associates, who believed to have housed Ghazi and Ahmed, were also shot dead in the encounter. Four security personnel were martyred in the gunfight.

India’s response- The Balakot Strike

On 26^th February 2019, twelve Mirage 2000 jets of the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control (LOC) and dropped bombs into Balakot, Pakistan.

A JeM training camp was targeted killing large number of terrorists. Over 300 and 350 terrorists were reported to have been killed.

In response, Pakistan claimed to have dispatched its jets to intercept the IAF jets. However, several reports of ludicrous claims of the Pakistani personnel unable to detect the Indian jets due to the low level of visibility at the night also surfaced which was their reason for being unsuccessful at intercepting the attacks.

Heavy border skirmishes broke out between Pakistani and Indian forces along the Line of Control on 26^th February 2019.

By 6^th March 2019, Pakistani and Indian forces exchanged heavy artillery fire along the LoC, with Pakistani forces using 130 mm and 105 mm artillery and 120 mm mortars. In response to the Pakistani artillery fire, the Indian army began using 155mm FH77B Bofors cannons against Pakistani positions.

The retaliatory air strikes followed with the capture of the Indian Air Force fighter pilot of Mig-21 Bison, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman VrC, who on 27 February 2019 was held captive when his plane was shot down inside Pakistani territory 4.3 miles from LOC and later repatriated on 1^st March 2019.

The capture of Abhinandan led to a heightened state of military alert. Tanks were deployed to the border in the Pakistani side, whilst several Kashmiri residents reportedly fled their homes and painted their homes with red-cross signs to avoid air-strikes.

However, it must be noted that the repatriation of the Indian Air Force pilot was due to the invocation of the Geneva Conventions charter. At the time, speculations of India possibly going to war with Pakistan flooded the news, had Pakistan failed to comply with the Geneva convention charter.

Conclusion

The Pulwama attack (2019) will be forever remembered as one of the heinous attacks on the security forces of India and when India almost went to war with its neighbour, Pakistan.

Since then, Pakistan has continued to support the terror outfits in its attempt to wage Gazwa-I-Hind (to bleed India with thousand cuts) while maintaining its deniability in any orchestrated attacks on India. In the following years, Pakistan has continued to fund, assist and carry proxy wars on India through its assets or the employed individuals belonging to its allied organizations or anti India terror outfits. Despite India abrogating article 370, Pakistan continues to raise issues at the United nations claiming fabricated reports of atrocities in Kashmir by the Indian government and has continued to meddle in India’s internal security. Apart from this, Pakistan continues to house India’s most wanted criminals, such as Dawood Ibrahim, while maintaining deniability. It has been secretly providing support to the ISIS Khorasan in Pakistan and plans to utilize them in regards to its rivals or anti Pakistan elements.

It has allied with nations like Turkey and Azerbaijan in a quid pro quo deal, to support Turkey on the Cypriot issue, Azeris on Armenian matter, in exchange for the support on its claims on India’s Kashmir and any propaganda in regards. On 13^th February, Pakistan and Turkey pledged to deepen cooperation in defense, mining, energy and other sectors during the 7th round of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad.

It is also imperative to mention in 2021, reports surfaced of Turkey preparing to send mercenaries to wage proxy wars in Kashmir. According to Pentapostagma, a Greek publication, the task to gather and organize the operation in Kashmir was entrusted to a Turkish private military company called SADAT.

By 2022, reports surfaced of foreign fighters and mercenary groups being mobilized by SADAT to be deployed in Palestine and Kashmir.

SADAT has been interacting with various jihadist groups in South Asia and has shown an affinity for many Kashmir-born terrorists. Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, a convicted felon who served time in US federal prison, has been a close associate of SADAT.

Fai has been reported to have attended a SADAT meeting. SADAT meetings have also been attended by Mesut Hakkı Caşın, the Turkish president’s advisor on security and foreign policy, and a Pakistani Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, the federal minister for states and frontier regions.

Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief is an NGO run by İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı, or IHH, on the Pakistani side of Kashmir.

IHH has links with terror outfits such as al-Qaeda, direct ties with the Popular Front of India (PFI), and is believed to be aligned with Turkish President Erdogan. The outfit is associated with the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, led by Erdogan’s close ally Hakan Fidan. Fidan also remains a close associate of SADAT.

Also, Pakistan’s close ties with China has been another approach it utilizes to leverage itself in the region, despite its own internal political and economic instability.

Additionally, with the relations with the Taliban government going sour, the Pakistani ISI chief was seen scampering to Tajikistan earlier in the year to align against Taliban and its off shoots. This was apparent due to the breakthrough development in the slowly progressing relations between India and Afghanistan.

This year, India can expect Pakistan to rake another Kashmir agenda at the UNSC after having procured the presidency in July. Certainly, this is going to be no rabbit in a hat magic trick but a very plausible forecast bearing Pakistan’s repeated move against India.