Surgical Strikes – Perception Analysis Group 2, AD-PR 2016-17, IIMC Delhi

Surgical Strikes - Timeline

Sept 18, 2016: Four terrorists attack Indian Army headquarters in Uri near LOC, kill 19 Indian soldiersSept 21: India summons Pak envoySept 22: Nawaz Sharif provokes India at UngaSept 23: PM Modi takes war-room briefingSept 29: Indian Army carried out surgical strikes in POK, killing 38 terrorists and 2 Pakistani soldiersSept 30: Pak troops opened fire at J&K's Akhnoor districtOct 1: Pak troops again targeted J&K's Akhnoor districtOct 2: Again Pak troops launched firing in Pallanwala sector of Jammu district.Oct 3: Pak troops violated ceasefire four times in Pooch district of J&K, leaving 5 civilians injuredOct 4: Pak troops again violated the border ceasefire five times in Jammu region, one Jawan suffered minor injuryOct 5: Pak troops violated the border ceasefire four times in civilian areas of Pooch, Rajouri and Kapwara district of J&K. Number of ceasefire violations reach 20 as Pakistani troops continue to retaliate

Highlights of Indian Media Coverage of Surgical Strikes

• Exhaustive coverage reporting & justifying strikes

• All-out support for the Indian Army

• Pro-government attitude

• Strikes reported as an NDA ‘homerun’ against cross-border terrorism

• Politicization of the event sparsely covered

• Signs of warmongering

Indian Print Media on Surgical Strikes

Notable Reactions in India on Surgical Strikes

Pakistan Print Media on Surgical Strikes

Reaction of Political Parties in India

• Initially, all political parties publicly supported the strikes

• However, doubts surrounding authenticity of strikes invited controversial remarks from the likes of Kejriwal later

Reaction of Political Parties in Pakistan

• Complete denial of ‘surgical strikes’

• India’s version of surgical strikes called a ‘farce’

• Baloch leaders and other factions ‘welcomed’ the strikes

Reaction of other countries on India’s surgical strikes

United States of America

The Obama administration publicly slammed Pakistan for its continual harboring of terrorists and many American leaders came out in support of India on its stance on Uri issue and sending a strong message to Pakistan that it needs to act against UN-designated terrorist groups. Interestingly on the other hand leading American news dailies like The Washington Post have taken this issue with a pinch of salt, putting a question mark on the whole incident.

China

China quoted that it is in touch with India and Pakistan through different channels to bring down tensions, asking them to properly deal with their differences and work jointly to maintain peace and security in the region. Thereby, not breaking its diplomatic stance by not openly condemning Pakistan or lauding India for taking a stand against cross border terrorism.

Russia

Russia welcomed the surgical strikes by India saying that every country has a right to defend itself. Russia's Ambassador to New Delhi Alexander M Kadakin also said his country had always been with India in fighting cross-border terrorism. He also assured India that it does not need to worry about Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise, saying it did not take place in "Pakistan-Occupied Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir".

Afghanistan

Afghanistan backed India's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, terming it as an act of "self-defense", and in a strong message to Pakistan asserted that time has come to take "tough" and "risky" decisions to deal with the menace of terrorism.

Bangladesh

India has "all legal and globally accepted right" to respond to any attack on her sovereignty and territory.

United Nations on Surgical Strikes by India

The UN was seen taking a diplomatic stand like always. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, stated the Secretary-General was following the developments "with great concern," adding that the United Nations "calls on the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and encourages them to continue the effort to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue.

In a press conference on October 3, Vitaly Churkin, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations and the President of the UN Security Council for that month, refused to comment on the India-Pakistan situation, stating the Security Council had not been discussing the matter

Impact of Surgical Strikes on Market

• On 29th September, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahesh Gupta said there will be no impact on India's trade and economy, adding that the volatility in the financial markets will also be short lived.

• Despite this there was an environment of large uncertainty dooming over the Indian markets.

• At one point the Sensex was down 500 points. Even the rupee wobbled and looked like it was sliding down. Normally India’s stock market is in sync with global markets. But on this day most of the world’s stock markets were rallying, including the ones in East and South East Asia. Ironically even the Karachi stock market went up, not down after the surgical strike.

• Eventually by 5th October, although there was a fear of retaliation from the other side of the border, the markets had stabilized.

Impactful PR strategies surrounding Surgical Strikes

• Public announcement of strikes; pattern followed by Israel and Russia

• Excellent media handling, pumping information justifying the strikes

• Strikes coated as ‘justice for Uri Attacks’ and ‘morale buildup’ for forces

• Cornered Pakistan as ‘terrorism hub’ on international stage; earned global sympathy

• Multiple statements on ‘Free Baloch’ and ‘Free Gilgit’ thereby denting Pak democratic image

Takeaways from India’s Surgical Strikes

• Government showed courage and conviction in approving and publicizing surgical strikes on Pakistan

• Public opinion changed in NDA’s favor almost instantly; all other issues were overshadowed

• Indian Media supported the government; even defended the strikes whole-heartedly

• Miscommunication regarding publicizing surgical strike evidence was damaging to some extent

• Support from neighboring countries and global leaders helped mold public opinion

• Modi’s ’56-inch’ image refurbished

• After Kashmir ‘pellet’ debacle, Indian Army’s credibility was reinstated

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