India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza issued strong but opposing statements at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore from 31 May to 2 June.
Delivering his address on Saturday, General Chauhan referred to India’s recent Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “What India has done, politically, they have drawn a new red line of intolerance against terror,” he said.
“I hope this particular operation, it is basically lying in military domain, that should bring about some lessons for our adversary also, and hopefully they learn that this is a limit of India's tolerance,” the CDS stated.
He further added, “We have been subjected to this proxy war of terror for almost two decades and more, and we lost lot of people... we want to put an end to it.”
The comments came weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April that left 26 tourists dead. India has held Pakistan-based terror groups responsible, though Islamabad has denied involvement.
General Mirza, speaking in a separate session titled “Regional Crisis-Management Mechanisms”, called for moving “beyond conflict management towards conflict resolution”. He warned that lack of such mechanisms risked rapid and destructive escalation.
He insisted that the “early resolution of Kashmir (issue) in line with the UN Security Council resolutions and as per the aspirations of the people is essential” for long-term peace in South Asia.
Also read: Oppn fumes as CDS admits India’s 'jet loss' in Op Sindoor
“When there is no crisis, Kashmir is never discussed,” Mirza said, adding, “It is the Kashmir dispute resolution in line with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and in line with the UNSC resolutions that will address many issues.”
He stressed that without a roadmap towards resolution, tensions would “always erupt”.
Mirza also raised concerns about strategic stability in the subcontinent, asserting that “the threshold of an escalatory war has come dangerously low, implying greater risk on both sides, not just in the disputed territory but all of India and all of Pakistan”.
He blamed India's growing alignment with Western powers: “Emboldening of India as a net security provider by the West and its ambition to become a regional hegemon is disincentivising it to engage in conflict management options.”
Operation Sindoor and international mediation
India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on 7 May, targeted nine terror hubs in PoK and Pakistan in retaliation to the April attack. All Indian military responses since were conducted under this banner. The brief but intense operation concluded on 10 May following an understanding to halt hostilities.
According to General Mirza, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates acted as interlocutors during this escalation.
He further claimed that “the threshold of what we say conventional warfare has significantly degraded”, urging global powers to act swiftly in future crises.
The sharp tone from both generals at the summit, albeit delivered in separate rooms, highlighted the fragile nature of regional peace and the sharp divergence in threat perception.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, organised annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, brought together defence ministers, military chiefs, and strategic experts from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
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