Two Army veterans shared their thoughts on the internal and external threats to Indiaâs security, especially after Operation Sindoor. Lieutenant General P.R. Shankar and Major General Rajiv Narayanan shared their thoughts during the event âInternal and External Threats to Indiaâs Security post Op Sindoorâ organised by âWe the People of Chennaiâ in Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai on Sunday.Lt. Gen. Shankar said Pakistan was a âfamiliar enemyâ and China was a âdifficult enemyâ because not much was known about it. Post Operation Sindoor, the whole game has changed, he said. âWhen Operation Sindoor happened, what did we do? Everyone thought we beat Pakistan. We did not [only] beat Pakistan. We beat China also. Because Pakistan is fully supported by China. And we beat Chinaâ.Recalling from the past, he said that India pushed China back by 15 km. âWe will take Aksai Chin back. It is only a matter of time. It might not be during my generation but before the next generation.â Expressing his observations on Pakistan, Lt. Gen. Shankar said every time Pakistan lost militarily, its Army became âpolitically strongâ. âWith every political defeat, it strengthens its military that much more.âSharing his thoughts on the threat from China, Maj. Gen. Rajiv Narayanan underlined the domestic issues being faced by China and contended that demography was the major challenge being faced by that country. China âlost trustâ from the rest of the world, he said, contending that Beijing said one thing but did something else. In the prevailing tensions between Israel and Iran, its influence in West Asia and other areas was âcollapsingâ, he contended.âWhat is going on now within China? Tremendous power struggle. Out in the open!â he said and went on to contend that Chinese president Xi Jinping was being sidelined. People in China were totally opposed to the Community Party and wanted democracy, he said. âBut, what you have to realise is that a decline in China is very dangerous. They strike out to externalise their internal problems.âConvenor of âWe the People of Chennai,â Ramaswamy Meyyappan, said that the event was organised also to rekindle a sense of national pride. âWe need to foster, create awareness and support for our armed forces, paramilitary forces and internal security institutions.âLieutenant Colonel S.V. Sundar was the compere of the event attended by students from various schools in the city. The event commenced with the Sanskrit invocation song âMaithreem Bhajataâ and concluded with a national anthem.Published - June 22, 2025 11:51 pm IST