Pakistan will remain significant security concern for times to come: Former CDS Gen Anil Chauhan (retd)

Former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) has warned that Pakistan will remain a significant security concern for India in the foreseeable future. Speaking at the GB Pant memorial lecture on 'Threats and Challenges to India's Security,' Chauhan cautioned that Pakistan’s defence pacts with other countries could lead to overconfidence and mistakes.

He emphasized that India's relationship with China cannot be solely focused on boundary disputes, without addressing other issues. Chauhan proposed Operation Sindoor, holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, and other measures to induce a behavioral change in Pakistan.

He also referenced the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye, which could foster overconfidence and lead to miscalculations. Chauhan stressed that India's external threats are multifaceted, including unresolved borders, cross-border terrorism, non-state actors, contested spaces, and the expanding cooperation and competition in space, cyber, and maritime domains. These factors interact and cannot be examined separately.

Chauhan highlighted the paradox of stability and instability caused by nuclear weapons, which encourages unconventional activities like terrorism and cross-border activities. He noted that India must prepare for terrorism and proxy wars by creating credible deterrence, as demonstrated in the Uri, Balakot, and Operation Sindoor operations.

Chauhan pointed out that India-China relations cannot solely revolve around boundary issues and suggested that the future of Asia depends on how India and China manage their simultaneous rise, both in the SCO and BRICS.