During Operation Sindoor, India was up against "two adversaries on one border" as Pakistan was heavily backed by China, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said. Beijing provided "all possible support" for Pakistan during the conflict, while Turkish supplies were also crucial for General Asim Munir's forces, the Deputy COAS (Capability Development and Sustenance) confirmed on Friday.
China ensured Islamabad had "live updates" on India's important vectors while DGMO-level talks were happening, the Lieutenant General said, adding that the Communist regime treated the situation as a live lab to test its weapons. Around 81% of Pakistani military hardware is Chinese, and the conflict underlined the importance of having robust air defence systems. Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh was speaking at the New Age Military Technologies event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Acknowledging the Pakistan-China alliance, Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said, "...a few lessons I must flag as far as Operation Sindoor is concerned. Firstly, we had one border and two adversaries—actually three. Pakistan was in the front. China was providing all possible support. In the last five years, 81% of the military hardware with Pakistan is Chinese." Air defence and technological advancement during military operations can no longer be taken lightly, he added.
While civilian settlements were largely not targeted by enemy fire during Operation Sindoor, that essentially wouldn't always be the case, and India needs to prepare by deploying air defence systems. Such complexities of modern warfare were the key lessons the nation learnt from Operation Sindoor, he said. "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..."
Underlining how Turkey became Islamabad's second ally behind China, the Deputy COAS said the country "played an important role" by arming the Pak Army with Bayraktar and numerous other drones.