Pakistan mutilates bodies of Indian soldiers: Here is what India can do

From launching attacks on Pakistani posts to shutting down trade and sending diplomats back, India has many options to choose from to respond to Pakistan army's despicable acts.

As news of Pakistan army mutilating the bodies of two Indian soldiers broke on Monday, angry reaction emerged from various quarters. Even as Pakistan denied such acts by its army, the Indian government, as well as the army, promised to 'respond appropriately'. But what really are the option before India?

This is not the first time that Pakistani forces have mutilated bodies of Indian soldiers. The army, much like it has in the past, retaliated by opening fire on Monday. The first option that India has is an extended version of Monday's reaction.

Deploy artillery

The Indian army could bring artillery along the Line of Control and cause maximum damage to Pakistani posts. This will inflict casualties on the Pakistani army and is a retaliation that has been chosen on multiple occasions earlier. In October 2016, the Indian army had used Bofors guns to destroy several Pakistani army posts. The assault was in retaliation to the mutilation of Sepoy Mandeep Singh in Macchil sector in Kashmir

Cross-border raids

Officers of the Indian army, current and retired believe that tactical cross-border raids are also an option. The perfect retaliation to the attack carried out on the Indian side of the LoC. Cross-border raids to exact revenge are not uncommon. Those posted along the LoC are trained for such raids, said an officer.

Identify and destroy enemy posts

Officials commanding personnel posted along the LoC are generally aware of which posts Pakistani teams came from. Selective target and destruction of enemy posts are an option before the Indian army. Speaking to media several defence experts said that the army should identify the posts from which the 'rogues' came from and deploy heavy weapons to flatten that post.

Shut down trade

Defence experts believe that apart from retaliation from the army, shutting down trade points along the LoC will pinch Pakistan where it hurts, economy. Shutting down trading points will send out the message loud and clear that if its army indulged in despicable behaviour, no exchanges can take place with Pakistan including trade.

Multi-level retaliation

Some external affairs experts believe that the issue cannot be dealt with militarily alone. Experts suggest that a multi-level approach comprising military, political, trade and diplomatic approaches are required to address the situation. While tactical operations continue on one side, experts suggest that the government put pressure by sending back Pakistan's diplomats and abrogating international treaties.

OneIndia News