Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, former Director General of Military Operations, stated on May 7 that the Indian Armed Forces are fully prepared to address any multi-front security challenges, including potential combined threats from China and Pakistan.

He described the military ties between China and Pakistan as “deeper than the seas and higher than the mountains.”

Speaking at a press conference in Jaipur, Lt Gen Ghai noted that 80 per cent of Pakistan’s military equipment is of Chinese origin and emphasised that India would face “the team that turns up on the park.” He said, “Whether we are fighting against three adversaries on the same border, be it Turkey, China or Pakistan, look, you play against the team that turns up on the park. So that’s not something that should worry us so much. It’s not something which is in our control… India and its armed forces are all on the path to meeting these challenges. That’s why a year hence we are all sitting in front of you, just to give you a sense and an assurance that what we learnt last year has been well imbibed and we are on a path.”

Lt Gen Ghai also downplayed concerns over the Pakistan-China alliance, describing it as a known factor that does not warrant undue worry.

Vice Admiral AN Pramod highlighted evidence of diplomatic and military coordination between China and Pakistan. “I would like to respond to your question through certain signposts which you have seen in the diplomatic front when the Pahalgam attack happened. China refrained from condemning the Pahalgam attack. Similarly, when the UN Security Council press statements were made, and that’s the time when China again influenced, and the references of the resistance front were directly involved in the attack. That was not made,” he said.

He added, “As General Ghai had mentioned, that 80% of arms imports are from China. That’s a kind of economic, military, and strategic relationship with China and Pakistan. More importantly, in terms of the imports which happen in the arms and the niche platforms, whether it is ships, aircraft or submarines, the best of the platforms are given, and recently you saw also that they know they already announced in the next two years, 40-odd J-35s are going, and this is only on the hardware platform.”