Former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane defends India-Pakistan ceasefire, says war is not romantic, Bollywood movie

Former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane defends India-Pakistan ceasefire, says war is not romantic, Bollywood movie

Former Indian Army chief General Manoj Naravane strongly defended the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying that war is not romantic and is not a Bollywood movie.

Speaking on Sunday at the diamond jubilee event of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India in Pune, Naravane said, “When a war actually breaks out, there is death and destruction. It has its own costs, the cost of rebuilding but also the cost of the equipment that is lost”.

He pointed out that that war is an expensive business and said, "If we have long, drawn-out conflict stretching into weeks and months, then imagine what each loss would mean in the immediate terms. And what each of these losses cumulatively added up to would mean when you have to recoup that at the end of the war.”

“If you put your mind to the facts and figures, you will realise that it is for the wiser person to take that call before the losses start becoming too large or insurmountable", he added.

General Naravane, who served as Chief of the Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, also highlighted the social impact of conflict.

He pointed out that there is trauma among people living in the border areas, including children who have seen shelling and have to run to shelters at night.

"For those who have lost their loved ones, that trauma will be carried through generations. There's also something called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). People who have seen gruesome scenes wake up sweating even after 20 years and need psychiatric care," he added.

Naravane stressed the seriousness of war, saying, "War 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 pointed out that while he would obey orders and go to war if required, his first choice would always be diplomacy.

"Still, people are asking why we have not gone for a full-out 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 said.

He concluded his speech saying, "We 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."

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting seven terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Both India and Pakistan on Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea. However, explosions were heard just hours later in Srinagar and the border regions of Punjab and Rajasthan.

On Monday, the Indian Army reported a night of calm in Jammu and Kashmir and other regions along the international border with Pakistan, following several days of conflict.