Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat sent a strong message to both China and Pakistan by stating that India will now remain alert round the year

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat on Sunday sent a strong message to both China and Pakistan by stating that India will now remain alert round the year against any attack in plans. The CDS stated that Indian armed forces will now remain alert against any movement in connection with the territorial ambitions of the neighbouring countries. He was speaking at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture when he sent out the message.

Speaking on the topic of the role of the Indian Armed Forces in nation-building CDS General Bipin Rawat said that India will never let the guard down against attacks from the neighbouring countries. “The territorial ambitions of China and Pakistan require the Indian armed forces to remain alert and deployed along disputed borders and coastal areas round the year,” CDS Rawat said. He further added that India has let down the guard in the past.

“History is witness to the fact that whenever a nation has neglected its armed forces and their capacity, external powers have been quick to exploit it. In the 1950s, India overlooked this important lesson of history and allowed the security apparatus to drift and the Chinese shook the country up in 1962,” Rawat said. He added that India had to relearn this lesson through an ignominious experience.

The current border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted in May last year and have been continuing ever since. The standoff began after a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas of eastern Ladakh which in turn led to the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry by both sides.

Last week, CDS General Bipin Rawat was addressing an event in Guwahati when he called out China for their continued support of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. CDS Rawat said that China's continuous support for Pakistan by providing military equipment to facilitate violence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a clear anti-India stand. He also said that China’s repeated investments in Myanmar are an attempt to reduce India’s influence in the country, which is a threat to the North-Eastern states as they have strong ties with the country.

CDS General Rawat began his speech naming China as one of the five countries projected to be Asia’s representatives in being an economic superpower. He said that China, India, Japan, Turkey and Indonesia will be on the list of the top ten economies of the world by 2030. He added that China’s addiction to being a superpower is pulling them to invest heavily in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region through several belts and road initiative projects.