New Delhi: China was providing Pakistan with live inputs about India’s ‘vectors’ during Operation SindoorLt Gen Rahul Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), said on Friday.
“When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan was mentioning that we know that your (India’s) such-and-such important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back,” Lt Gen Singh said at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) event on ‘New Age Military Technologies’.
He claimed that Pakistan was getting live inputs from China. “Pakistan had live updates of our important vectors from China, so that is one place we really need to move fast and take appropriate action,” he said.
Hours after the conversation between the two DGMOs, the understanding between India and Pakistan to cease military hostilities – on land, in the air and sea – was announced on May 10 evening. In this call, it was decided that India would cease firing if Pakistan did nothing to escalate the situation.
Under Operation Sindoor, India struck nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on May 7 and killed at least 100 terrorists.
“There is no scope of absorbing the pain the way we did a few years ago. The planning and selection of targets was based on a lot of data that was collected using technology and human intelligence. So, a total of 21 targets were identified, out of which nine targets we thought would be prudent to engage. It was only the final day or the final hour that the decision was taken that these nine targets would be engaged,” Lt Gen Singh shared.
On May 10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations, after which Pakistan insisted on the DGMO-level talks.
The general officer also explained that India had to deal with not one but three adversaries during Operation Sindoor. “We had one border and two adversaries, actually three. Pakistan was in the front. China was providing all possible support. Around 81 per cent of the military hardware of Pakistan is Chinese. China was able to test its weapons against other weapons, so it’s like a live lab available to them. Turkey also played an important role in providing the type of support it did,” he said.
The general officer also had a word of caution. “Air defence and how it panned out during the entire operation was important. This time, our population centres were not quite addressed, but next time, we need to be prepared for that,” he said.
“China, of course, the good old victim killed by a borrowed knife – 36 stratagems that China talks about. Killed by a borrowed knife. You would rather use the neighbour to cause pain than get involved in the mudslinging match on the northern border, that’s what they say,” Lt Gen Singh added.
