&w=3840&q=100)
China used India-Pak conflict as 'live lab' to test weapons: Lt Gen Singh
Speaking at an event titled 'New Age Military Technologies' hosted by Ficci, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance), Lieutenant General Singh, spoke about the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. He explained how the situation was more complex than it seemed on the surface.
'Air defence and how it panned out during the entire operation was important... This time, our population centres were not quite addressed, but next time, we need to be prepared for that... 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... When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan had the live updates of our important vectors, from China... We need a robust air defence system,' said Lt Gen Singh, according to an ANI tweet.
China's 'borrowed knife' strategy
Lt Gen Singh said that China was using Pakistan as a tool to inflict harm on India during the four-day conflict in May. He added that Beijing's support to Islamabad was in line with an old Chinese military principle.
He referred to the '36 stratagems' from ancient Chinese warfare theory, which includes the idea of 'killing with a borrowed knife' — essentially using someone else to carry out hostile acts.
'He (China) would rather use the neighbour to cause pain (to India) than getting involved in a mudslinging match on the northern border,' Lt Gen Singh said. He pointed out that China's involvement was not unexpected given that the majority of Pakistan's defence equipment comes from China.
'Pakistan was the front face. We had China providing all possible support. And there was no surprise because, if you look at the statistics in the last five years, 81 per cent of the military hardware that Pakistan is getting is all Chinese,' he said.
Turkiye's involvement
The Deputy Chief also spoke about the role of Turkiye in supporting Pakistan's military efforts during the conflict. 'We saw numerous drones coming and landing in the face of war, during the war, along with the individuals who were there,' he said.
Lt Gen Singh also highlighted that India's leadership sent a strong and clear strategic message during the confrontation. The military's decisions, especially target selection in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), were made using detailed data analysis.
Operation Sindoor
India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22. The mission targeted terror bases across the border.
The action led to four days of heavy cross-border hostilities, ending on May 10 after both sides reached an understanding to halt military actions. Significantly, Pakistan sought an end to the clashes following India's forceful counter-strike.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Russia pounds Kyiv with largest drone attack, hours after Trump-Putin call
KYIV: Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, killing one person, injuring at least 23 and damaging buildings across the capital hours after US President Trump spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin, officials said on Friday. Air raid sirens, the whine of kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated from early evening until dawn as Russia launched what Ukraine's Air Force said was a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles. Families huddled in underground metro stations for shelter and acrid smoke hung over the city centre. Kyiv's military administration chief said on Friday afternoon a body had been found in the wreckage of one of the strike sites. Outside a high-rise apartment block damaged by a drone, residents stood around surveying the scene as the clean-up job began. Some cried. Others looked on silently. "I woke up to the sound of explosions, first the Shahed drones started buzzing, and then the explosions began," said 40-year-old resident Maria Hilchenko. "Then people started screaming outside. The explosions from the Shaheds kept coming." Shahed drones are an Iranian design, a variant of which is now manufactured in Russia. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Let boAt bring the cinema home Boat Buy Now Undo President Zelensky called the attack "deliberately massive and cynical", noting the first sirens blared as news came in of Putin and Trump's call. Later on Friday Zelensky spoke to Trump and the pair agreed to work on increasing Kyiv's capability to "defend the sky". He added they discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments. The US has paused some deliveries of missiles amid concerns about low stockpiles. US outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed sources, that the call lasted around 40 min, and that Trump told Zelensky he would check what US weapons due to be sent to Ukraine, if any, had been put on hold. Kyiv officials said the attack damaged about 40 apartment blocks, passenger railway infrastructure, five schools and kindergartens, cafes and many cars in six of Kyiv's 10 districts. Poland said the consular section of its embassy was damaged in central Kyiv, adding that staff were unharmed. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said a Chinese component had been found in one of the Shahed drones attacking Kyiv. Russian airstrikes on Kyiv have intensified in recent weeks. Russia's defence ministry said drone factories, a military airfield and an oil refinery were among targets it struck in Kyiv with what it called high-precision weapons. Ukraine did not give details. Trump said that the call with Putin on Thursday resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war, and the Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict's "root causes". The decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap. (This is a Reuters story)
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘DU will not encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan': V-C amid syllabus revisions
Amid the ongoing debate over curriculum changes in several departments, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh Thursday told The Indian Express that the varsity will not 'encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan'. Singh's remarks follow internal deliberations over the likely removal of these postgraduate courses in Political Science: Pakistan and the World, China's Role in the Contemporary World, Islam and International Relations, Pakistan: State and Society, and Religious Nationalism and Political Violence. The V-C clarified that while departments are free to propose Pakistani thinkers 'who are not anti-national,' final decisions on academic content rest with the university's elected Academic Council (AC), not the administration. 'Syllabus and academic matters are passed by the AC, which is a democratic house in a democratic manner,' Singh said. Discussions around syllabi revision have taken on political and ideological overtones at the varsity, with several faculty members raising concerns about the narrowing of academic space. Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, heads of departments were reportedly instructed to review academic material and remove any unnecessary 'glorification' of Pakistan. In June, The Indian Express reported that the Department of Philosophy had been directed to exclude references to Pakistan, poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the Manusmriti from its syllabi following an email directive from Dean of Academics. Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Sanjeev Kumar H M, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science with a specialisation in Islamic Thought and International Relations, among others, defended the revision process. 'There is a process in which the Department Council proposes changes, and it then goes to the Committee of Courses. That committee makes suggestions, and the syllabus then goes to the Board of Studies. From there, it moves to the Standing Committee, where elected members and experts comment and make recommendations. It is then sent back to the department. This entire process is mediated by the Head. There is a democratic process involved in this — it is a matter between the faculty and the Standing Committee,' he said. He added that some readings from 10–15 years ago may now appear decontextualised, given changing global dynamics. 'Our goal is to give the right image. How we portray Pakistan needs some kind of streamlining. It is not about administrative interference,' Kumar said. 'Debating Article 370, for instance, becomes decontextualised without background.' Harendranath Tiwari, member of the Standing Committee, argued that the ideological bent of some proposed papers was a concern. 'The Arts have always been dominated by Left ideologies. Certain papers presented in the Standing Committee were agenda-driven. It is not like Pakistan is not being taught — it is taught in various courses. But the perspective matters. Courses with an 'India-centric' approach have been passed. The problem lies with the 'Pakistan-centric' way of drafting,' he said. However, a professor from the History department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'How do we teach Partition without mentioning or talking about Pakistan?' The professor added that efforts to erase or avoid discussion of sensitive subjects 'risk diluting both historical accuracy and academic honesty'. Professor Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, declined to comment when contacted by The Indian Express. Other departments have also seen cuts in their syllabi. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters last month, several key topics — including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kashmir issue — were allegedly removed from a proposed syllabus revision by the Department of Psychology.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt doesn't take stand on matters of faith, says MEA on Dalai succession issue
NEW DELHI: Following remarks by Union minister Kiren Rijiju backing the Dalai Lama's announcement about his succession, including the statement that China will have no role in it, India on Friday said it had taken no position on what was an issue concerning faith and religion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Interestingly, the Chinese foreign ministry, after cautioning India at a media briefing, according to agency reports from Beijing, against interfering in Tibetan affairs at the expense of Sino-India ties, omitted its comments objecting to Rijiju's remarks from the official transcript of the briefing. "Govt of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, responding to media queries. Govt committed to protecting freedom of religion for everyone in India, says MEA The MEA spokesperson added that Indian govt has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and would continue to do so. India's ties with China have shown signs of improvement in the past nine months, since they resolved the almost-five-year-long border stand-off in eastern Ladakh, leading to resumption of high-level bilateral visits. Amid global uncertainties, both sides seem keen to maintain a steady working relationship. Defence minister Rajnath Singh visited China last month for a meeting of the SCO defence ministers. NSA Ajit Doval has twice visited China since PM Modi's meeting with President Xi Jinping in Oct last year on the margins of the Brics summit in Russia. As special representative for boundary talks, Wang himself is likely to visit India this month for talks with Doval. India, however, is yet to confirm Modi's participation in the SCO summit in China in Sept. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Unlike the US, which officially maintains that China has no role to play in the Dalai Lama's succession, India has never taken any position on the issue. China maintains that the successor to the 14th Dalai Lama can only be appointed through the "traditional" process that includes approval by the central govt. In rare remarks by an Indian minister, Rijiju had backed the spiritual leader's assertion that no one else other than his trust would help choose his successor. The minister clarified on Friday that he wasn't speaking on behalf of the Indian govt but as a devotee himself, expressing the perspective of the Dalai Lama's followers. "All over the world, the people who follow Buddhism and who believe in the sacred, supreme Dalai Lama-ji... it is everyone's wish that the Dalai Lama-ji himself will decide. There is no need for govt of India or for me to say anything. I am speaking as a follower. I am not saying anything on... the Chinese govt's statement," the minister said.
