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A Pause, Not An End Of Military Action By India, Says Former Army Chief Bikram Singh

“Don’t romanticise war, but stay united,” says former Army Chief General Bikram Singh.

General Bikram Singh, Former Chief of the Army Staff (Source: BloombergQuint)
General Bikram Singh, Former Chief of the Army Staff (Source: BloombergQuint)

The de-escalation in military action between India and Pakistan may be a temporary one, according to former Indian Army chief General Bikram Singh.

The tempo should be maintained after the Indian strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in Balakot, Pakistan, General Singh told BloombergQuint in an interview. Further military operations will supplement efforts being made by India on the diplomatic and economic front to ensure the dismantling of terror camps in Pakistan.

I don’t think this pause which has come about marks the end of force by India. Timelines have been spelled out.
General Bikram Singh, Former Chief of the Army Staff 

General Singh said the next steps would depend on how Prime Minister Imran Khan responds to India’s demands on action against terrorist organisations. Downplaying the alarm raised internationally and both in India and Pakistan about an escalation of hostilities between two nuclear-armed nations, he said the prospect of a nuclear war is unlikely.

We should not be too worried about it. The plans that we have in the military are evolved in a nuclear backdrop. We know the threshold. When we carry out operations, we are all mindful of it.
General Bikram Singh, Former Chief of the Army Staff

While warning against ‘romanticising war’ among a section of people, General Singh also urged unity at a time of increased tensions between India and Pakistan.

No one on earth should ever romanticise war. War is an ugly arena where people die, there is destruction caused and it is drain on economy but if we have adopted an approach, the nation must be united.
General Bikram Singh, Former Chief of the Army Staff

Watch the full interview here: