Kumar Bahukhandi
CDS Anil Chauhan – Photo: ANI
The CDS said that ‘We are politically connected to Central and West Asia, but geopolitically different. In such a situation, the sea becomes very important for us. Our island territories give us deep access to the Indian Ocean, which is strategically beneficial for us and we have to use it very wisely.
India’s Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan has said that India has extended the hand of friendship to Pakistan many times, but we have always received hostility from Pakistan in return. He said that looking at the situation, the strategy of separatism seems better. General Anil Chauhan said this in his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue being held in Singapore.
What did CDS say on India-Pakistan relations
CDS General Anil Chauhan said that ‘Now we are not working without strategy regarding India-Pakistan relations. When we gained independence, Pakistan was ahead of us on every scale, social, economic and per capita GDP. But today, despite more diversity, India is ahead in all fronts in terms of economic, human development and social harmony. This did not happen by chance but it is the result of a long-term strategy.’ Regarding India-Pakistan relations, he said that ‘Diplomatically, in the year 2014, we had taken the initiative to improve relations with Pakistan. At that time, PM Modi had invited the then PM of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, but clapping does not happen with one hand and we always got hostility in return. Therefore, at present, isolation can be a good strategy.’
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Our full focus is on the Indian Ocean region
CDS General Anil Chauhan said that ‘We have full focus on the Indian Ocean region. Especially in the North Bay of Bengal. Our geopolitical position is such that we cannot even move from the north because tension with China continues. Nor can we move towards the east because there is instability in Myanmar.’
The CDS said that ‘We are politically connected to Central and West Asia, but are geopolitically separate. In such a situation, the sea becomes very important for us. Our island territories give us deep access to the Indian Ocean, which is strategically beneficial for us and we have to use it very wisely. Some areas in the north of the Indian Ocean have always been a matter of concern for us, but we should not limit ourselves to the north. Now we are also looking towards the south, where there are many possibilities for our maritime interests.’
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‘India is moving towards self-reliance in defense sector’
During the conflict between India and Pakistan in the past, India defeated Pakistan with indigenous weapons. On this, the CDS said that ‘We used indigenous weapons like Akash missile system. Now we are also building our network infrastructure so that our air defense can be improved without depending on foreign vendors. We integrated radars from various sources and this proved to be very important in the recent conflict. We are moving towards self-reliance for defense modernization. We are seeing that investment in new startups, MSMEs and big industries in the defense sector is increasing in the country.’
