Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi issued a stark warning to Pakistan on Monday, declaring that the brief conflict between the two countries in May was “only a trailer” and insisting that India is “fully prepared” for any future confrontation. Speaking at a defence conference in New Delhi, he said the May escalation ended within 88 hours, but hinted that India was ready for a far stronger military response if provoked again.
His remarks come days after a deadly explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, the first such blast in the capital since 2011, which killed 12 people. The incident has intensified security concerns and heightened political tensions in India.
Recalling the events of May, when an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir triggered a rapid escalation, Gen Dwivedi said India would “provide Pakistan a thorough education on how a responsible nation should behave with its neighbours” if given the chance. India had accused Pakistan of involvement in the tourist attack without presenting evidence; Pakistan strongly denied any role and called for an impartial investigation.
The four-day confrontation saw India conduct air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7, followed by retaliatory attacks on each other’s airbases. It took intervention from the United States on May 10 to secure a ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spiralling further.
As political tensions sharpen, Indian authorities also presented one of the two suspects linked to the recent Delhi blast in court. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleges that Amir Rashid Ali conspired with the suicide bomber, Umarun Nabi, to carry out the deadly attack. Both men are reported to be from India-occupied Kashmir, though investigators have not disclosed any information about motives or organisational links.
Ali was brought to Patiala House Court under heavy security and will remain in NIA custody for 10 days, according to Indian media. The NIA claims he helped facilitate the purchase of the vehicle used as an IED. Nabi, the alleged bomber, worked as a medical professor in Haryana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the blast a terrorist attack and vowed to punish everyone involved in what he described as a “conspiracy.” The NIA confirmed on Sunday that the explosion was a suicide bombing, but no further details about the attackers’ network have been made public.
The warnings issued by India’s army chief, combined with the shock of the Red Fort blast, have further raised tensions between India and Pakistan — both countries still navigating the fallout of last May’s conflict and the fragile ceasefire that followed.