Today, I had the opportunity to meet the Hon’ble Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Sanjay Seth, who was present at the Rising India event organized by Hon’ble Mr. Anil Agarwal.

Below are some suggestions presented to the Minister of State for Defence regarding counter-terrorism measures:

There should be a single commander

When joint search operations are conducted in Kashmir, the Army falls under the Ministry of Defence, the paramilitary forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the police under the Kashmir administration. It takes time to coordinate between even two companies of a single battalion—here we are talking about coordination between three different ministries. According to the Army’s doctrine, a successful operation must have a single commander.

Action must be taken immediately

If my house catches fire, I don’t analyze constitutional provisions—I act immediately. Israel did not wait for a "surgical strike" to respond to Hamas; they took immediate action. It is beyond understanding how four terrorists can enter a country of 1.4 billion, attack a military post, and escape. If immediate action is taken, it will either delay or prevent the next incident.

Use Stand-off Capability

We know the exact longitude and latitude of terrorist launch pads in Pakistan. Using Apache helicopters or Rafale jets, we can destroy these launch pads while staying within our borders. We should not worry about the international community’s reaction. When we carried out the surgical strikes or Balakot strike, the global community did not utter a word.

Kashmir is not Uttar Pradesh

More than one-third of India’s armed forces are deployed in Kashmir. The Governor here should be a military officer. This is not to discredit civilian governors, but rather to highlight that a civilian generally has no experience of spending even a single night in a ground bunker during artillery shelling in an operational area.

Take action against at least one anti-national leader

A certain leader in Kashmir says, "Pakistan is not wearing bangles" (a derogatory remark implying weakness). The same leader claims collusion between the Indian Army and Pakistani terrorists. He also says that it would be better if China ruled India, and supports stone-pelting youth and terrorist activities either directly or indirectly. If action is taken against just one such person, it will serve as a deterrent to others. This is also in line with the Army’s doctrine.

Settle retired soldiers along border areas

Terrorist incidents cannot happen without internal support from within the country. These supporters—sleeper cells or over-ground workers—often live in border villages. Every year, around 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers retire at a young age, and now Agniveers (short-term military recruits) will also be retiring. If willing retired soldiers are settled in border areas with cultivable land, it would be nearly impossible for drug smugglers, arms traffickers, or infiltrators to operate. Each soldier is a symbol of duty, discipline, and integrity.

Introduce basic military training in schools

If 8th-grade students are taught the 11 fundamental duties listed in Article 51A of the Constitution through practical examples, it would leave a lifelong impact—as children are like soft clay and absorb what they are taught at that age. Such a child would never destroy national property or mistreat women in the future. They would grow into responsible citizens, and this would lay the foundation for them to become good soldiers. A draft syllabus for basic military training is enclosed. The Rashtriya Sainik Sanstha is both ready and capable of implementing this training across the country.