Says ‘talks & terror can’t go together’, asserts India undeterred by nuclear threats
New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday served a pointed warning to Pakistan while outlining the military’s approach to evolving security challenges.
“…Operation Sindoor was just a trailer which ended in 88 hours. We are prepared for any circumstances in future. If Pakistan gives us a chance, we will teach it how to behave responsibly with a neighbouring nation,” he said while speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in Delhi.
He noted that modern warfare demands planning for prolonged and multi-domain engagements. “In today’s time, battles are multi-domain. We cannot say how long it will last. We have to ensure we have supplies to last long.”
The army chief said India will continue to respond strongly to state-backed terrorism. “When a country encourages state-sponsored terrorism, it becomes a matter of concern for India. India talks about progress. If someone creates obstacles in our course, then we will have to take some action against them.”
He added: “When we talk about the new normal, we have said that talks and terror can’t go together. All we are asking is to adopt a peaceful process, which we will cooperate with. Until then, we will treat terrorists and their sponsors alike. We will respond to those who encourage terrorists.”
“Today, India is in a position that it is not scared of any blackmailing,” Dwivedi said, apparently referring to Pakistan’s nuclear threat. “Our new normal in combating terrorism will be a challenge to Pakistan,” he said.
The army chief said India’s political brass has the will to strengthen the country’s deterrence capabilities. “In today’s time, our deterrence is very strong. Our deterrence is working,” he said.
Dwivedi also said “After 5 August, 2019, there has been a huge change in the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. After this, political clarity has come. There has been a huge decline in terrorism (in J&K)…”
Last week, the Indian government said it was treating the Red Fort car blast as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible.