India ‘prepared’ for two-front war with Pakistan, China: Indian army chief

Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat has said that a two-front war with Pakistan and China cannot be ruled out.

The Indian COAS completely dismissed the myth that democracies or nuclear-armed neighbours do not go to war. Addressing a seminar in New Delhi, Rawat also claimed that differences between India and Pakistan could not be reconciled.

According to an Indian daily, the Indian army chief spoke briefly about his country’s military strategy in case of any future engagement of Indian troops with China. According to the daily, Rawat reiterated that the recurrence of situations such as the recent standoff between Indian and Chinese troops over the Doklam Plateau could not be ruled out.

He alleged on Wednesday that China was flexing its muscles and would continue to incrementally take away territory from India. “Thus, India has to be prepared,” he said. “War is very much in the realm of reality,” the Indian army chief was quoted as saying. “We have to be prepared for conflict on the northern and western borders,” Rawat said.

He ruled out the possibility that war will prevent the country from preparing for such a situation in regards to budgetary allocation and modernisation of forces. “Militaries alone do not go to war, nations go to war [and] we have to prepare ourselves accordingly,” the daily quoted the army chief as saying.