War is not Bollywood movie, diplomacy first choice: ex-Army chief Naravane

Former Indian Army chief General Manoj Naravane has criticised people raising questions about the suspension of hostilities between India and Pakistan saying war is not romantic nor is it a Bollywood movieSpeaking at an event in Pune on Sunday Gen Naravane said he would go to war if ordered but diplomacy would be his first choiceThe former Army chief pointed out it has been a tumultuous week starting with Operation Sindoor the strikes by the Indian Armed Forces on terrorist camps and infrastructure in Pakistan and POK followed by four days of intense aerial and some land battlesIt finally culminated in an announcement regarding the cessation of military action I would like to repeat that it is only a cessation of military operations not a ceasefire as such Watch how things unfold in the days and weeks to come he saidHe noted that several people have raised questions about the suspension of military hostilities and whether it was a good thingIf you consider the facts and figures particularly the cost of war youll realise that a wise person makes that call before the losses become too large or insurmountable he saidI believe we proved to Pakistan through the strikes we carried out not only on terrorist infrastructure but also on their airfields deep within their territory that the cost of continuing on their path would be too high That compelled them and ultimately led their DGMO to call ours to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire he saidHe added that there is a third aspect the social componentI mentioned strength and destruction but this social part includes the lives that are lost children who lose their parents or who themselves get killed in the shelling in border areas Nobody accounts for that kind of destruction he saidHe noted that for those who have lost their loved ones the trauma gets carried through generationsTheres also something called PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder People who have seen gruesome scenes wake up in cold sweat even after 20 years and need psychiatric care he saidGen Naravane was speaking at a programme organised by the Institute of Cost Accountants of IndiaWar is not romantic It is not your Bollywood movie It is very serious business War or violence should be the last thing we should resort to which is why our Prime Minister said this is not an era of war Although war will be forced upon us by unwise people we should not cheer for it he saidStill people are asking why we have not gone for a fullout war As a military man if ordered I will go to war but that will not be my first choice the former Indian Army Chief saidGen Naravane said he would choose diplomacy settling differences through dialogue and not reaching the stage of armed conflictWe are all equal stakeholders in national security We should try to resolve differences not only between countries but amongst ourselves whether in families or between states regions and communities Violence is not the answer he saidHighlighting the importance of a strong defence budget Gen Naravane said the debate about guns versus butter is as old as timeHow much should a country spend on defence when there are so many other conflicting priorities Should you spend on all those things youve seen on the TV screen or should you spend on education healthcare hygiene sanitation and so many other equally pressing demands especially for a developing country like ours he saidHe pointed out that the defence ministry takes up about 15 per cent of the national budget and thats the kind of investment which has to be madeNow you will ask is it a worthwhile investment or is it money down the drain that has to be pumped back up So let me put it in two or three different ways Firstly I would like to say look at it as an insurance premiumThe country needs a backup plan for emergencies and this was starkly evident last week he saidIf your armed forces are wellprepared and wellequipped they are capable of dealing with any such emergency that may be thrust upon the country without warning just like accidents happen without warning he saidHe added that the key difference was that in the case of insurance the benefit comes after the accident while a wellprepared military helps prevent the accident from happening in the first placeIf you are well prepared others will think twice before attacking you Gen Naravane saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params