New Delhi: Days after India's offensive against militants along its eastern border stunned the world, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said that the action against insurgency has led to a change in the mindset of the full security scenario in the country.
Parrikar further took a dig at Pakistan, saying those who "fear India's new posture" have already started reacting.
"If the thinking pattern changes, a lot of things change. You have seen in the last 2-3 days. A simple action against insurgents has changed the mindset of the full security scenario in the country," he said addressing a seminar here.
He was speaking on the need for simplification of defence procurement procedures, which, he said, required a change in mindset.
Refusing to go into details of the operation, the Minister said, "Those who fear India's new posture have started reacting". He also declined to take questions from the media on the military action.
Parrikar was referring to Pakistan which has sharply reacted to the Indian Army's “adventurism” in Myanmar.
“India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar and our Army is fully capable of responding to any adventurism," Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had reacted on Wednesday.
Pakistan's reaction came in the wake of Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's remarks that military action in Myanmar to hit back at rebels who killed 18 soldiers in Manipur was a message to other countries.
Rathore's comments were interpreted here as a warning to Pakistan.
Khan said that it should be clear to India that "Pakistan is not a country like Myanmar".
"Those having ill designs against Pakistan should listen carefully that our security forces are capable of matching response to any adventurism," he said.
The operation conducted by the Indian Army on Tuesday involved two attacks along the Indo-Myanmar border, with the camps being located in Myanmarese territory.
Perceived as the largest cross-border operation yet by the Indian Army, the attack resulted in several militants being killed with no loss of life on the Indian side.
Army sources, meanwhile, said more such operations may be carried out in future based on intelligence reports.
"More such attacks may take place if there are intelligence inputs of a threat (of the kind of attack on June 4 in Manipur that claimed the lives of 18 Indian Army soldiers and injured many more). The forces are always ready for such operations," a senior officer told a news agency on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Asked if a similar approach could be used on the western border, highly-placed officials said the situation on both sides is different.
Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh denied any "hot pursuit" being involved in the operation, while Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said it was a message to all terrorists.
"We did not use hot pursuit. We contacted Burma (Myanmar) authorities before the attack," Rao Inderjit said here.
Javadekar, speaking in Mumbai, said: "The military's action against insurgents, with assistance from the Myanmarese government, speaks volumes about India's resolve to fight terror. This is a lesson and a message to all the terror groups that India will not hesitate in going beyond its geographical borders to eliminate terrorists."
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, termed it a fitting reply.
The Congress, however, said the government must not politicise the issue.
(With Agency inputs)
