The Western Army Commander, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, said Pakistan may attempt another Pahalgam-like attack as it does not have the capacity to directly fight India. He also warned the neighbouring country that if India were to undertake another Operation Sindoor, it will be “deadlier”. Talking to reporters in Jammu, he said India had inflicted heavy damage on Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. “We have destroyed its posts and air bases. But we have to remain prepared as it may again attempt something,” he said. Lieutenant General Katiyar said if Pakistan does attempt something, India’s response will be deadlier. “It (the response) has to be deadlier. There is no doubt about it. We are fully prepared and I am confident that action this time will be deadlier than the past,” he said. Earlier, addressing ex-servicemen, he said that Pakistan would not desist from its evil designs as it does not have the “capacity or the courage” to fight India directly. “However, the Indian Army is fully prepared to foil it as we have the support of our people,” he said, adding that it had been due to the support of the people, particularly veterans, that the armed forces were able to give a “crushing defeat” to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 tourists and a local man were killed, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, destroying terror infrastructure at multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In the aftermath, there were tensions along the border, with several civilians killed in Pakistani shelling on border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
