Army Chief warns Pakistan against sheltering terrorists, says choice is between ‘geography or history’
New Delhi, May 17. In a sharp message aimed at Islamabad, Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi has cautioned that if Pakistan continued to shelter terrorists and foment actions against India, it would have to “decide whether it wants to be part of geography or history”.
Speaking at an interactive session at the Manekshaw Centre here on May 16, General Dwivedi was responding to a question on how the Army would react if circumstances similar to those that led to Operation Sindoor were to arise again. His remarks came amid a broader debate on India’s approach towards Pakistan, triggered by recent comments from senior public figures advocating dialogue.
Earlier this week, RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale had underlined the importance of keeping channels of communication open with Pakistan, even while stressing the need for firm responses to terror attacks such as 2008 Mumbai attacks, 2019 Pulwama attack and the Pahalgam strike. Hosabale had argued that diplomatic ties, trade and visa exchanges should not be completely halted, as they provide a window for dialogue.
Supporting this view, former Army Chief Manoj Naravane had said people-to-people engagement between the two countries remained important, noting that the everyday concerns of ordinary citizens on both sides of the border were similar and largely removed from political tensions.
Against this backdrop, General Dwivedi’s comments underscored India’s uncompromising stance on terrorism. His statement also came days after the country marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 last year in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation involved precision strikes by Indian forces on terror infrastructure located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan subsequently launched retaliatory actions, prompting further Indian counter-offensives under the same operation. The intense military engagement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours lasted nearly 88 hours before both sides reached an understanding on the evening of May 10, bringing the hostilities to a halt.
