Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the ‘surgical strikes’ along the Line of Control were planned in June 2015, PTI reported. Addressing industrialists in Panaji on Friday, the Goa chief minister said, “The surgical strikes against militants in PoK [Pakistan-occupied Kashmir] were planned 15 months in advance.”

Parrikar added that it was an “insulting” question by a television anchor to ex-Armyman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore after the 2015 anti-insurgency operation that triggered the plan. After the operations along the Myanmar border on June 8, 2015, a TV show anchor had asked Rathore that if they ‘would you have the courage and capability of doing the same on the western front’,” said Parrikar. The Goa chief minister, however, did not name the anchor. “I listened very intensely but decided to answer when the time came,” said Parrikar.

“The starting of September 29 [2016] ‘surgical strike’ on the western border was June 9, 2015,” said Parrikar. “We planned 15 months in advance. Additional troops were trained. Equipment was procured on priority basis.” Parrikar further said that the Swathi Weapon Locating Radar, which was formally inducted in December 2016, was used to locate the “firing units” of Pakistani Army during the ‘surgical strikes’. He said the radar helped destroy 40 firing units of the Pakistan Army.

Speaking about the anti-insurgency operations along Myanmar border in 2015, Parrikar said it was an “insult” to the Indian Army that a small outfit 200 people killed 18 Dogra soldiers on June 4, 2015. “We sat in the afternoon and sat in the evening and worked out the [plan of] first surgical strike, which was conducted on June 8 in which about 70-80 terrorists were killed,” he added.