New Delhi
In a stern warning to Pakistan, new Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said India reserves the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror if the neighbouring country does not stop state-sponsored terrorism. In an interview to PTI hours after taking charge of the 1.3-million strong force, Gen Naravane said the Army will enhance combat capabilities along the border with China so that it is fully prepared to deal with any challenge.
“The threat remains from both northern and western sides. Over the last many years, we have been concentrating on our western borders while our northern border was at a little lower in priority. There was a need to rebalance and reprioritise,” he said.
Giving an overall perspective of India’s security challenges, he said the focus is being shifted from the western border to the northern border as part of “re-balancing of priorities”.
The Army Chief said India had “multiple options across (the) spectrum of conflict… to respond to any act of terror sponsored or abetted by Pakistan”. General Naravane, who succeeded General Bipin Rawat, also said his focus would be on ensuring the Army maintained high standards of operational readiness to “face any threat at any time”.
General Manoj Mukund Naravane had earlier headed the Eastern Command, which guards India’s nearly 4,000-kilometre-long border with China. “We have evolved a strategy of resolute punitive response against sponsored terrorism. If Pakistan does not stop state-sponsored terrorism, we reserve right to pre-emptively strike at sources of terror,” General Naravane told PTI, adding, “…multiple options across spectrum of conflict to respond to any act of terror sponsored or abetted by Pakistan”.
“As far as our neighbour is concerned they are trying to use terrorism as tool of state policy, as a way of carrying out proxy war against us. This can’t last long. You can’t fool all the people all the time,” he told news agency ANI, describing terrorism as “worldwide problem” but one India had been at the receiving end “for a long time”. — PTI/ANI
