There are certain defining moments in a nation's history that fundamentally reshape its strategic thinking and actions. One such moment  occurred  on the intervening night of September 28–29, 2016, when the Indian Army launched a targeted surgical strike against terrorist camps based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, neutralizing numerous operatives. This operation signalled the emergence of a "New India" and highlighted a shift toward a zero-tolerance  to terrorism, a national security doctrine under the Modi government, which had been in power for just over two years at the time of the cross-LoC counter-terrorism action.

What prompted the Indian Army to undertake such an audacious cross-LoC operation also reflects the deep pain inflicted on Kashmir by terrorists coming from across the dividing line. Ten years ago, terrorists showered bullets on sleeping soldiers in the Uri garrison, killing 20 of them before the attackers were neutralized. The surgical strike was not just to avenge the death of those soldiers, but a clear indication that Kashmir would no longer be allowed to bleed this way. It was a decisive military operation to keep Kashmiri soil terror-free, sending a firm message that terrorism would no longer be tolerated.At the same time, when we talk about the September 2016 surgical strike, we often see it through the prism of a bold response to one particular incident. While Uri was the focal point, the strike actually marked the beginning of a larger response to all the terror attacks that Kashmir, and the rest of the country, had borne over the decades. In this scenario, it is imperative to........

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