09-05-2025
Fortified State: Balancing national security with political expediency
The first session of the day saw former National Security Advisor, M.K. Narayanan, and former Permanent Representative of India to the UN, New York, dissecting the importance of balancing national security with political expediency in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.
Mr. Narayanan began his introductory remarks with a word of caution about the escalating tensions and noted, 'lessons of the war have not been learnt by the terrorist state of Pakistan.' He substantiated this with highlighting the speeches made by the leader of the Pakistan army, General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, who he said believes in the idea of clash of civilisations.
The Hindu Huddle 2025 Day 1 LIVE updates
Mr. Tirumurti treaded along similar lines and quipped, 'Operation Sindoor reset rules of engagement with Pakistan with respect to cross-border terrorism.' He added that the onus of stopping terrorism was always on India, but with Operation Sindoor, this responsibility has now shifted to Pakistan.
The discussion touched upon the evolution of India's national security policy with the speakers drawing anecdotes from their career.
The session concluded with an insightful question and answer session during which N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, asked Mr. Narayanan to elaborate on the role of media and the rules of coverage in moments of military tensions. Check out the former NSA's answer in the livestream here:
