Surgical strike dates changed twice, was concerned about safety of soldiers: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his New Year’s Day interview on Tuesday revealed that the dates of Indian Army’s surgical strike across LoC after the Uri terrorist attack were changed twice due to safety concerns. The prime minister said that he was more concerned about the safety of soldiers than the outcome of the mission. “I gave clear orders that whether you get success or failure, don’t think about that but come back before sunrise. Don’t fall for the lure and prolong it (the operation),” Modi told news agency ANI in an interview.

On September 28, 2016, Indian Army soldiers carried out a cross-border surgical strike to destroy terrorist hide-outs in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The strike was India’s response to the deadly terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri, killing 20 soldiers.

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Modi turned emotional while talking about the mission. The prime minister revealed he was getting live information about the mission and was keeping a close tab on the risky operation throughout the night.

"I knew it was a big risk. I never care about any political risk to me. The biggest consideration for me was the safety of our soldiers," Modi said adding that he didn’t want to harm any of the commandos who were "willing to sacrifice their lives on our word."

Speaking about the cross-border attacks from Pakistan even after the surgical strike, the prime minister hinted at similar action saying Islamabad would take more time to understand. "It would be a big mistake to think that just a single strike would ameliorate Pakistan. The country will take more time to change," Modi said.