What PM Modi's free hand to armed forces against terror means for cross-border action?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unambiguous message during a high-level security meeting - ‘India is determined to deliver a crushing blow to terrorism’ - marks more than just a strong statement of resolve.

The Prime Minister’s message portrays a strategic phase where decisive military options are firmly on the table. The option that also includes cross-border strikes, in response to the Pahalgam terror massacre that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.

PM Modi’s assurance of “full operational freedom” to the Indian Armed Forces to choose the “mode, targets, and timing” of India’s response is of deep strategic significance. It indicates a positive phase where political will and military capability are perfectly aligned. This strategy gives India’s defence establishment the freedom to act not only defensively but pre-emptively and offensively, based on ground intelligence and evolving operational realities.

In the strategic calculus, such a directive also removes bureaucratic delays that traditionally constrain swift military retaliation, says the security experts. It empowers commanders on the ground to act when the opportunity arises - be it via precision strikes, covert operations, or cyber disruption of terrorist networks, they add.

This isn’t the first time India has contemplated trans-border action. Following the Uri attack in 2016, India conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control, targeting terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In 2019, after the Pulwama attack, Indian Air Force jets penetrated deep into Balakot, conducting airstrikes on terror infrastructure, marking the first aerial strike inside Pakistani territory since 1971.

In view of this precedent, the current developments suggest a possible revival or expansion of the surgical strike doctrine, this time potentially in a more sustained and escalated form.

Government sources confirm that troop readiness has increased significantly along the LoC and the international border. Surveillance drones, satellite tracking, and electronic intelligence gathering have intensified, monitoring terror camps and movement across PoK.

The intelligence apparatus appears to be working in tight coordination with the military, pointing to the possibility that actionable intelligence may already be in hand.

Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are under heightened scrutiny. The Pahalgam attack, due to its targeting of civilians and tourists, is being interpreted as an attempt to disrupt peace in Kashmir and damage India’s global image.

In response, India appears to be preparing for targeted retaliation not only against the foot soldiers but also their financial and logistical enablers.

India has already taken strong diplomatic steps, such as suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and ordering the expulsion of Pakistani nationals with short-term visas. These moves indicate a multi-pronged strategy - military, diplomatic, and economic - to pressure Pakistan and isolate it globally.

Should India proceed with a visible military response, it will likely be accompanied by an international diplomatic outreach, emphasising India’s right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

While the national mood demands action, the Modi government’s strategy appears measured but resolute. By giving the military full operational autonomy, the Prime Minister has decentralised tactical decision-making.

With the Pahalgam massacre acting as a turning point, India seems poised to redefine the rules of engagement in its fight against cross-border terrorism.

The Prime Minister’s message, described as one of the clearest and most assertive in recent years, sets the stage for what could be a landmark counter-terror operation.

Whether it takes the form of another surgical strike, a covert hit, or a multi-dimensional offensive, one thing is certain - India is done absorbing the blows. It’s ready to strike back.