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‘Decide whether want to be part of geography, history, or not’: Indian Army chief's warning to Pakistan
General Upendra Dwivedi’s remarks come around a week after India and its security forces marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi sent out a stern message to Pakistan on Saturday, saying Islamabad has to “decide if they want to be a part of geography and history or not”.
Speaking at an interactive session at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, General Dwivedi was asked about how the Indian Army will respond if the circumstances that led to Operation Sindoor last year come up again.
"If you have heard me earlier, what I have said... 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 or not," the Chief of Army Staff said in response.
General Dwivedi’s remarks come just over a week after India marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, its airstrikes against Pakistan after a terror attack on Pahalgam.
The remarks came as a blunt message to Pakistan, which had recently expressed hope of restarting dialogue with India that has remained suspended for over a year now.
Pakistan wants dialogue
Pakistan on Thursday welcomed former Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane's backing of a remark by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale, who said the window for dialogue between India and Pakistan should always be open.
In a press conference, Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that he saw the calls for dialogue within India as a “positive development”, but added that it remains to be seen if there is any “official reaction” to those remarks.
"The voices within India calling for dialogue are obviously a positive development. We hope that sanity will prevail in India.... We, of course, will see if there is an official reaction to those voices in India," Andrabi said.
Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 last year in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that happened on April 22.
The Indian forces conducted precision strikes on multiple terror launchpads and other related infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan also launched offensives against India, which lasted almost four days. All subsequent counter-offensives by New Delhi were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached a ceasefire understanding on the evening of May 10. The understanding was reached after the Pakistani director general of military operations reached out to his Indian counterpart, requesting the same, the Indian Army has said.
