India's army gives nod to government for release of video footage of surgical strikes, says report

In order to make New Delhi's claim stronger, the Indian armed forces have reportedly given their go ahead to the government to release the video footage of the surgical strikes that were carried out in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. However, the footage will be released only after the Prime Minister's Office takes the final decision regarding this.

According to an Economic Times report, top officials in the army want the Indian government to release the evidence which will answer those doubting the strikes.

The development comes amid allegations by Pakistan's military establishment that the 28 September night strikes never happened. Some regional Indian political party leaders like Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Sanjay Nirupam of Congress, have also asked for 'proof' of the strikes.

"There is no doubt at all that the strikes inflicted heavy damage. Proof is available with the government that clearly shows our troops engaging the targets effectively," a senior government official was quoted as saying by the Economic Times.

However, the decision regarding the possible release of the footage will majorly depend on the Pakistani response as it might aggravate the ongoing tension between the two nuclear-powers. The release might also force the Pakistani government into a corner.

As of now, the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh's public comment is the only prove of 28 September strikes, where he had said the Pakistani army was informed about the cross-border strikes.

"Despite persistently urging Pakistan to not allow territory under its control to be used for terrorist activities, nothing was done," Singh had said, adding that the strikes were carried out considering "very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had positioned themselves to infiltrate".