After 88-hour Op Sindoor trailer, ready to show Pak full movie, says Army chief

New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday described Operation Sindoor as an 88-hour trailer which ended even before the screening of the main movie, warning that the military is ready with all preparations to teach Pakistan a lesson if it calls for it.

Speaking at the curtain raiser of Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025, the Army Chief said the armed forces are prepared for dealing sternly with any eventuality in future.

On Operation Sindoor, he said, “I would like to say that the movie never even began; only a trailer was shown, and that trailer lasted 88 hours. As for the future, we are fully prepared.”

“If someone in Pakistan gives us such an opportunity again, we will certainly teach them how a responsible nation should behave with its neighbours,” he said.

Talking about deterrence and the nation’s political decision-making, General Dwivedi said, “Deterrence is defined by military capability and the ability to take political decisions. It works only when the adversary believes that you will act the way you warn them to do. The other side takes your resolve seriously.”

The other aspect of deterrence is your military capability to hit the opponent as hard as you warn to do. Today, we have the military power that is increasing by the day, he said.

“I can say today that deterrence is working,” he said.

Talking about the impact of instability in a neighbouring country, General Dwivedi said, “It is natural that whatever happens across the border affects us as well. If there is instability in a neighbouring country, we also feel its impact. As a responsible nation, it is also our duty to help if assistance is needed.”

“Let us look at Myanmar, there were clashes and internal conflicts, and many refugees came to India, around 43,000 to 44,000. We want them to voluntarily go back to their country. Till the time they do so, we are taking care of them,” he said.

The Army chief said terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is at its lowest level. “As far as terrorism is concerned, there has been a significant decline. This year, around 31 terrorists have been eliminated, of which 61 per cent were Pakistani. What I mean is that there are no stone-pelting incidents, no sloganeering, everything has stopped,” he said.

The Indian Army, in collaboration with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), conducted the Curtain Raiser of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025 (CDD-2025) at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. The Dialogue, scheduled for November 27-28, will be held on the theme ‘Reform to Transform: Sashakt, Surakshit aur Viksit Bhara’t, the Ministry of Defence said.

The event on Monday commenced with welcome remarks followed by the release of the CDD-2025 teaser. A Fireside Chat with the Chief of the Army Staff was one of the key highlights of the programme.

During the interaction, the COAS highlighted the linkage between national development and national security, noting that the aspirations of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’ require sustained stability and a secure environment.

In his special address, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, former Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, emphasised the strategic link between technological capability and national security.

A panel discussion, chaired by Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh, Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), brought together experts from DRDO, the defence industry and academia.

Deliberations focused on ‘Atmanirbharta’ as a pathway to strategic autonomy, emphasising indigenous design, development and innovation; strengthening dual-use technologies; ecosystem integration between DRDO, private sector and academia; reforms in procurement processes; and the role of MSMEs and Defence Industrial Corridors in building competitive and export-capable clusters.

Discussions also highlighted the need for resilient supply chains, reduced external dependencies and accelerated development of India’s deep-tech ecosystem to address future operational requirements.

IANS