New Army Chief says India can go in for preemptive strike

New Delhi, December 31

In a stern warning to Pakistan, new Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday said, “India reserves the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror, asserting that a new normal in the country’s response mechanism to acts of cross-border terrorism has already been emphatically displayed.”

Gen Naravane also said the Army would enhance combat capabilities along the border with China so that it was fully prepared to deal with any security challenge.

“The threat remains from both northern and western sides. Over the last many years, we have been concentrating on our western borders while our northern border was at a little lower in priority. There was a need to rebalance and reprioritise,” he said.

Giving a detailed brief on India’s security challenges, including combating cross-border terrorism, Gen Naravane said a strategy of “resolute punitive response” was put in place to deal with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, noting that the policy of “zero tolerance” would continue to drive counter-terror measures.

“If Pakistan does not stop its policy of state-sponsored terrorism, we reserve the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror threat,” he said. — PTI