New Delhi: After withdrawal of troops from the Doklam region of Sikkim sector preceding more than two month long military stand off with China Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat talks of two front war.
For the first time since the Doklam tussle the Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat while bragging on the ‘might’ of his Army here on Wednesday (Sept. 6) he reportedly said the country should be prepared for a two-front war, insisting that China has started “flexing its muscles”, while there seems to be no scope for reconciliation with Pakistan.
Indian Army Chief Genral Bipin Rawat.
After remaining numb for more than 70 days during the Dokalam standoff, the Indian Army chief stated that the situation could gradually snowball into a larger conflict on the northern border.
There is a possibility that these conflicts could be limited in space and time or can expand into an all-out war along the entire frontier, with Pakistan taking advantage of the situation, he said.
“We have to be prepared. In our context, therefore, warfare lies within the realm of reality,” he adds. Further he laid stress on maintaining hegemony of the Army on the pretext of successfully combat external security threats.
Concerned over the military might and capability of China the Indian Army chief added that India cannot afford to let its guard down against China.
“As far as northern adversary is concerned, the flexing of muscle has started. The salami slicing, taking over territory in a very gradual manner, testing our limits of threshold is something we have to be wary about and remain prepared for situations emerging which could gradually emerge into conflict,” reads the quote from his statement published in an English vernacular.
In military parlance salami slicing denotes divide and conquer process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition. He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies.
Apparently, grousing about methods employed by China during the doklam crises he stated that China engaged in a psychological warfare by using the media and information technology against India during the Dokalam face-off.
“As far as our western adversary is considered, we don’t see any scope of reconciliation, because their military, the polity, and the people in that nation have been made to believe that there is an adversary, India, which is all out to break their nation into pieces.”
“Nuclear weapons are weapons of deterrence. Yes, they are. But to say that they can deter war or they will not allow nations to go to war, in our context that may also not be true,” he adds to his statement, reports The Tribune (TT).