In a stern warning to Pakistan, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Friday that the neighbouring country should stop sponsoring terrorism on its soil if wants to retain its place on the world map.
The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) also said the restraint shown by New Delhi during Operation Sindoor would not be repeated in case of a future military conflict and urged Indian soldiers to remain poised for action.
"India, as a country, is fully prepared this time. And this time, it will not show the restraint that it showed during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time we will take a step forward and act in a manner that will make Pakistan think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not," General Dwivedi said in a sternly-worded address to soldiers at Anupgarh in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district.
He asserted that if Pakistan wants to retain its place on the world map, it will have to stop state-sponsored terrorism.
The Army chief told the soldiers to stay prepared. "Keep yourselves fully prepared now, if god wants, the opportunity will come soon," he said.
Gen. Dwivedi said India has given evidence to the world of the presence of terrorist hideouts in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Had India not unearthed this evidence, Pakistan would have hidden all of it, he said.
The Army chief said the entire world stood with India when it launched Operation Sindoor in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. He said the Indian military hit nine targets inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, of which seven were hit by the Army and two by the Air Force.
"We had identified the targets because we only wanted to harm the terrorists. We had aimed to strike their bases. We have no complaints against ordinary Pakistani citizens, so long as their country does not sponsor terrorists. Because terrorists were being sponsored, those terrorist targets were hit," Gen. Dwivedi said.
Replying to a question about his appeal to those living near the international border, he said, "We consider the border population not as ordinary civilians but as soldiers. That means they stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the battle. This is crucial because the coming struggle is the nation's struggle, not just the Army's." The Army chief said history bears witness that during the 1965 and 1971 wars, ordinary citizens stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers.
"We would want them to join us in the days ahead as well. I want to thank them -- their zeal boosts the morale of our soldiers," he said.
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