The revelation may have come late in the century but the Congress disclosed on Thursday, May 29, 2025, that the Indian Army conducted six surgical strikes against Pakistan during UPA-2, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's second term in power.
In an interview to Rediff, Congress Spokesperson Udit Raj stated, "The Congress party did six surgical strikes against Pakistan but never tom-tomed about it."
Udit Raj was reacting to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's statement in Panama on Wednesday that the Narendra Modi government had crossed the Line of Control for the first time in response to terror attacks from Pakistan.
Later, on Thursday, the Congress released a list of six surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the Pakistan border during UPA-2.
In May 2019, Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda (retd) stated that the Modi government was not the first to undertake surgical strikes.
General Hooda's assertion was significant, given that he had played a major role as the Northern Army commander in the September 28-29, 2016 surgical strikes launched after the Uri terror attack by the Modi government.
General Hooda did not reveal details about earlier surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army in Pakistan.
According to the Congress, the first strike under the UPA was conducted in the Bhattal sector in the Poonch area on June 19, 2008.
It is not known what the target in Pakistan was or how many terrorists died in the attack.
Lieutenant General Prabodh Chandra Bhardwaj -- an officer in India's elite Special Forces -- was the Northern Army commander during this operation.
The second surgical strike came three years later, in the Sharda sector, across the Neelam river valley in Kel, from August 30 to September 1, 2011.
The Neelam river valley is a popular tourist destination in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The name Sharda sector derives from Goddess Sharda, and the temple there is considered an essential centre of Kashmir's Shaivism tradition.
Home Minister Amit Shah stated in March 2023 that the Government of India would move forward to open the Sharda Peeth in PoK for Indian citizens on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor.
The third surgical strike under the UPA government took place at the Sawan Patra check post on January 6, 2013.
This was highlighted by Pakistan too.
After the attack, the Pakistan army accused India of raiding a military checkpost in the Bagh sector along the Line of Control, killing one soldier and injuring another.
A report in the Pakistan newspaper Dawn mentioned that Indian troops had crossed the LoC and raided the Sawan Patra checkpost.
Lieutenant General K T Parnaik -- currently, the governor of Arunachal Pradesh -- was the Northern Army commander during these operations.
The fourth strike was at the Nazapir sector on July 27-28, 2013. No details are available on this operation.
The fifth surgical strike came a month later, on August 6, 2013, when the Indian Army attacked Neelam Valley. No details are available on this operation.
The last surgical strike attack against Pakistan under the UPA government came five months later, and it also targeted the Neelam Valley on January 14, 2014.
Lieutenant General Sanjiv Chachra was the Northern Army commander during the final two operations.
In the last year of its tenure, the UPA government carried out four cross-border/LoC strikes against Pakistan.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh -- the only Indian PM this century not to visit Pakistan during his terms in office -- never revealed that India had carried out six surgical strikes against Pakistan during his tenure.
The silence was finally broken by the Congress party on Thursday.
.jpg)
© 2025