NEW DELHI: Deputy chief of army staff (capability development and sustenance), lieutenant general Rahul R Singh on Friday said that China was providing live inputs to Pakistan during India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.Speaking at the ‘New Age Military Technologies’ event organised by FICCI, Lt Gen Singh said, “When the DGMO level talks were going on, Pakistan was getting live inputs of our deployment from China. So that is one place we really need to move fast and take appropriate action.”He added, “When the DGMO level talks were going on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that we know that your such and such important, sort of vector is primed, and it is ready for action. I would request you to perhaps, you know, pull it back. So he was getting live inputs from China.”Lt general Singh further said that India was fighting three adversaries during Operation Sindoor, “We had one border and two adversaries, actually three. Pakistan was in the front. China was providing all possible support. 81% of the military hardware with Pakistan is Chinese… China is able to test its weapons against other weapons, so it’s like a live lab available to them. Turkey also played an important role in providing the type of support it did; they gave Bayraktar. We saw numerous other drones also coming in during the war.”The deputy army chief also said that Pakistan may target India’s population centres if and when next time both countries come into a situation of conflict. “This time, our population centres were not quite addressed, but next time, we need to be prepared for that.”
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He also shared operational details and takeaways from the mission, underlining that military planning was based on both technology and intelligence inputs. “There are a few lessons from Operation Sindoor. The strategic messaging by leadership was unambiguous… There is no scope of absorbing the pain the way we did a few years ago… The planning and selection of targets was based on a lot of data that was collected using technology and human intelligence. So a total of 21 targets were actually identified, out of which nine targets we thought would be prudent to engage… It was only the final day or the final hour that the decision was taken that these nine targets would be engaged.”He added, “A considered decision was taken that it will be tri-services approach to send the right message that we indeed are an integrated force… An important consideration was that we should always be at the top of the escalation ladder. When we reach a military objective, we should try and put a stop to it… War is easy to initiate, but it’s very difficult to control. So I would say that was a very masterly stroke that was played to stop the war at an appropriate time...”Also read: Big boost post-Op Sindoor: DAC clears Rs 1.05 lakh crore defence buys; focus on indigenous systemsThe army general referred to the ceasefire with Pakistan that followed the operation as a well-timed strategic move. “When we reach a political (or) military objective, we should try and put a stop to it. So war is easy to initiate, but it’s very difficult to control. So I would say that was a “very masterly stroke” that was played to stop the war at an appropriate time,” he said.“Punch was ready, Pakistan realised it could be in a bad condition, that is the reason why they asked for a ceasefire.”Reiterating India’s present approach to security challenges, Lt Gen Singh added, “There would be punitive action if required. There is no scope of absorbing pain, the way we did a few years ago. That is one important message that stands out loud and clear.”India had launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians and for which The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility.
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