NEW DELHI: Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday warned Pakistan that it would have to decide “whether they want to be part of geography or history” if it continued to harbour terrorists and operate against India.
The remarks were made during ‘Sena Samwad’, an interactive event in the capital, where General Dwivedi was asked how India would respond if circumstances similar to those that led to Operation Sindoor were to recur.
“If you have heard me earlier, what I have said is that Pakistan, if it continues to harbour terrorists and operate against India, then they have to decide whether they want to be part of geography or history,” he said.
The Army Chief’s statement follows similar comments made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in recent months amid continued tensions between India and Pakistan over cross-border terrorism.
Speaking in Bhuj in October last year, Singh had said that if Pakistan attempted any “misadventure” in the Sir Creek sector, “the response will be so strong that it could change both history and geography”.
Referring to the 1965 war, the Defence Minister had also said Indian troops had reached close to Lahore and remarked that “one direct route to Karachi passes through Sir Creek”.
India has made it clear that any terrorist attack on its soil will be met with a strong and calibrated response. Such action will be taken on its own terms and timeline, with all locations linked to terror operations including training camps and other facilities subject to precise targeting.
Furthermore, it has been reiterated on multiple platforms that there will be no tolerance for nuclear blackmail with the response being deliberate and exact. Moreover, no distinction will be made between those who execute acts of terrorism and the state that sponsors or protects them.
Meanwhile, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale earlier this week said there should remain a “window for dialogue” with Pakistan and referred to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s outreach efforts as an example.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the remarks, describing voices in India favouring dialogue as a “positive development”, while adding that it would wait for an official response from New Delhi.
The Centre has not commented on Mr. Hosabale’s remarks so far.