Vadodara: Former Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Wednesday said Operation Sindoor marked a shift in India’s counter-terror strategy, asserting that New Delhi no longer differentiates between terrorists and those who support or sponsor them.Speaking on the second day of the Vadodara Literature Fest, organized by Parul University, Naravane said India widened the scope of its response compared to earlier strikes after Uri and Pulwama, which were limited to terrorist camps.Calling Operation Sindoor “100% successful”, Naravane said India conveyed its message clearly, but the real test would be whether Pakistan chose to change its approach.Drawing a comparison, he said India and Pakistan were at similar economic levels in 1980, but four decades later India was among the world’s top four economies while Pakistan lagged far behind.On India-China relations after Galwan, Naravane said the standoff reinforced that there was no military solution to the boundary dispute. “Dialogue is the only viable option,” he said, adding that seasoned foreign diplomats and observers shared the view that the world’s longest unresolved border dispute could be resolved through discussions if both sides showed genuine intent.On Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, he said data on IED incidents, stone-pelting and civilian casualties showed a significant improvement.Addressing delays in defence procurement, Naravane said the process was necessarily rigorous due to the size of contracts and national security implications, but acknowledged the need to speed up procedures. “In trying to get the best, we often fail to get even the good. It is better to induct usable systems and improve them through spiral development,” he said.He said the upcoming Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) would simplify norms for MSMEs and startups by easing bank guarantee and turnover requirements.Naravane also called for faster defence procurement, backed the upcoming Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) reforms for MSMEs and startups, and said nearly 60% of Army equipment was now indigenous. On the Agnipath scheme, he said policies evolve over time and feedback from the services would guide any changes.
