New Delhi/Singapore– Tensions flared at Asia’s premier security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, as India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan delivered a sharp rebuke to Pakistan over its continued support for cross-border terrorism. The remarks followed India’s recent counter-terror operation in response to the deadly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking during a closed-door session on regional security threats, General Chauhan delivered a stern warning, signaling that India’s tolerance for proxy warfare has reached its limit.
“India has turned a page,” Chauhan reportedly said, referencing Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border precision strike campaign that targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “A new red line has been drawn. The era of strategic restraint in the face of terrorism is over.”
Though he refrained from naming Pakistan directly, sources confirmed that Chauhan’s comments unmistakably referred to the neighboring country’s ongoing role in fostering terrorism.
“We have endured over two decades of proxy war. The toll on civilians, soldiers, and the economy is unacceptable,” Chauhan said. “Operation Sindoor was not merely tactical—it was a strategic message.”
The operation, launched on May 7 and concluded on May 10, was India’s direct response to the April 22 terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. Indian forces conducted coordinated strikes on at least nine terror launchpads across the Line of Control. India briefed multiple nations—including the U.S., U.K., and UAE—on the objectives and outcomes of the mission.
General Chauhan emphasized that India’s actions were “limited, lawful, and targeted,” intended to enforce long-term deterrence. He warned that if Pakistan fails to absorb the lesson, future consequences could be far more severe.
Meanwhile, during concurrent sessions at the forum, Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, reiterated Islamabad’s usual narrative, calling for conflict resolution over Kashmir and cautioning against escalation in the absence of sustained dialogue.
“The Kashmir issue must be resolved in accordance with UN resolutions and the will of the people,” Mirza said, emphasizing the need for crisis-management mechanisms.
Indian officials dismissed Mirza’s comments as “predictable deflection,” pointing instead to Pakistan’s continued sheltering of groups responsible for terrorism.
“While Pakistan preaches peace on the international stage, it protects those responsible for massacres like the one in Pahalgam,” said an Indian delegate at the summit.
Security analysts attending the dialogue observed a stark contrast in tone. While Pakistan sought to internationalize the Kashmir dispute once again, India presented itself as a responsible power asserting clear red lines against terrorism.
