Operation Sindoor Marked Major Shift In India’s Pakistan Policy: Former Army chief MM Naravane

Former Army Chief General MM Naravane on Saturday said Operation Sindoor marked a major shift in India's approach towards Pakistan, particularly in how it responds to terrorism and those who support terrorist groups. Speaking to the media after attending a private event in Vadodara aimed at promoting the start-up ecosystem, Naravane said the operation, launched following the Pahalgam terror attack, demonstrated that those supporting terrorists could no longer assume they would be safe, regardless of where they were located.

Naravane, who served as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff, described Operation Sindoor as a necessary response to the Pahalgam attack. Referring to previous terror attacks, including Uri and Pulwama, he said India's military responses had earlier largely focused on terrorist infrastructure near the border.

“Earlier, whenever such attacks took place, like after Uri and Pulwama, the Balakot strike, we mostly targeted terrorist camps near the border. But this time, their supporters and those providing support to them were targeted, wherever they were,” Naravane said.

He said the strikes also targeted locations inside Pakistan, including Muridke and Bahawalpur, from where support was allegedly provided to terrorists. “Therefore, this was a very significant change in our approach.

India has shown that those supporting terrorism, wherever they may be, cannot escape,” he said. Citing Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Naravane said India had demonstrated that it was prepared to enter terrorist territory and eliminate threats, leaving no safe haven for those supporting terrorism.

Naravane said there was no reason for concern and that India would take appropriate action at the right time if required. Asked whether Pakistan was capable of matching India, he said it was not. On India-China relations, Naravane said the recent talks between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi should be viewed in the context of the longstanding border dispute between the two countries.

He noted that the meeting was the 25th round of talks between the two sides at the level of Special Representatives and was not a new development. Naravane said disputes between India and China sometimes arise because the border has not been demarcated.

On the proposed theatre command structure, Naravane said discussions on the “theatrisation” of the armed forces had begun after the Kargil War. “This is not a new concept. Such discussions first began after the Kargil War.

It has been 25 to 26 years since then,” he said. Operation Sindoor marked a major shift in India's approach to terrorism, demonstrating that supporters of terrorist groups are not safe, regardless of their location.

It targeted those providing support to terrorists, even in places like Muridke and Bahawalpur inside Pakistan.