On May 16, 2026, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi again targeted Pakistan in a speech at General Manek Shaw's Senak Samavad function in New Delhi. He demanded Islamabad decide whether it wants to be part of geography or history, citing alleged harboring of anti-India militants. Earlier, he described Operation Sindoor 1.0 (May 2025) as an '88 hours trailer' of what India could do to Pakistan.
General Dwivedi's Doctrine
General Dwivedi's views are driven by an uncompromising anti-terror doctrine, existential signaling, and a policy of absolute, zero-restraint military retaliation. He advocates eliminating tactical restraint against Pakistan, considers it a two-front threat alongside China, and is an ardent believer in atmanirbharta (self-reliance). He normalizes cross-border retaliation as the new normal and advocates shaping the environment for Operation Sindoor 2.0. His focus includes multi-domain readiness for war, incorporating AI, cyber capabilities, and drone warfare. Crucially, he disavows the regional escalation narrative, believing conventional war with Pakistan can be controlled without spiraling into nuclear exchange.
Background of General Dwivedi
General Dwivedi hails from the Indian Infantry's 18 Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. He is a veteran of Kashmir and Rajasthan operations, a graduate of the US Army Staff College, and a former defense attache in Seychelles. He has commanded Assam Rifles and the 9 Corps deployed along Punjab in India's Western Command. He also served as GOC Northern Command, commanding 14, 15, and 16 Corps along borders with China and Pakistan. His expertise lies in counterinsurgency and tactical mountain battles.
New Chief of Defence Staff
The third Indian Chief of Defence Staff, General NS Raja Subramani, appointed on May 31, 2026, is also an expert on the Pakistan/China front. He is the third consecutive CDS from the 8th Battalion of Garhwal Rifles, after Generals Bipin Rawat and Anil Chauhan. He commanded critical combat units and high-altitude formations along India's borders, participated in COIN operations in Assam (Operation Rhino), and served as GOC-in-C of India's Central Command after commanding the 2 (Strike) Corps. He shares the Army Chief's views, believing in the new normal and rejecting Pakistan's nuclear blackmail.
Strategic Concerns
Their profiles indicate tactical and operational experience, but they lack strategic thinking. Nuclear powers rarely engage in conventional warfare due to risks of miscalculation, escalation, and unintended consequences, especially with short warning times of 180 to 300 seconds for missiles. They avoid using nuclear-capable missiles, armed UAVs, and escalation along the entire border. However, India under this leadership escalated dangerously during Operation Sindoor 1.0, firing BrahMos cruise missiles at Nur Khan base in Rawalpindi and hitting civilian infrastructure. Statements from Indian civil and military leadership suggest New Delhi may replicate these steps in Sindoor 2.0.
Pakistan's Response
Military truism states that capability plus intention equals threat. India's defense acquisitions, military capability, and declared intentions make it an existential threat for Pakistan, requiring a matching response. Pakistan Army spokespersons have reiterated multidomain, timely, and painful retaliation, highlighting risks of miscalculation due to short warning times. The BrahMos strike on Nur Khan base has changed Pakistan's security calculus. Conventional missile launches can create strategic ambiguity with consequences. Survivability, quicker response, synergy, and escalation control will guide Islamabad's retaliation. Pakistan's response parameters include technology, compressed decision-making, and credibility of deterrence.
Shifting Strategic Calculus
Conventional deterrence vis-a-vis India now has limited credibility. Future conflicts will entail faster psychological escalation, reaching psychological thresholds earlier due to media frenzy and public pressure, leaving less scope for political parleys. At the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Commander Corps of the newly raised Rocket Force, Lt Gen Nauman Zakaria, detailed the shifting strategic calculus in South Asia after the May 2025 war. He noted no space for conventional war, shrunken decision-making space (seconds not minutes), and AI threats shortening the OODA loop. Excessive technology reliance removes buffers for evaluating adversary moves, while AI-generated disinformation targets military command networks, leaving minimal room for error and increasing escalation risk.
Need for Regional Stability
These challenges require institutionalized regional stability mechanisms due to hyper-compressed reaction windows. Direct, institutionalized strategic communication channels between states are needed, along with technical dialogues and transparency. Pakistan's strategic posture now pivots towards maximum operational readiness and rapid-response deterrence.
Conclusion
The desire to avenge the embarrassment of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the ambition of Indian generals to leave legacy and earn medallions, and dangerous civil-military collusion championed by RSS under Hindutva-laced hatred of Pakistan create a toxic mix. To deal with an arrogant India, Pakistan should declare its nuclear policy in intent and manifestations: any violation of territorial integrity will invite a nuclear response. Period.
