Indo-Pak Contact Crucial In Ensuring Regional Stability: Former Army Chief

Months after his unreleased memoir made headlines, Former Army Chief General (retd) Manoj Naravane, visiting a bookstore to sign his new book, termed people-to-people connections with neighbouring Pakistan as "important".

The book titled 'Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries' brings forth tales of bravery from the three services.

The former army chief said “....Common man has nothing to do with politics. When there is friendship between the two people, there will also be friendship between the two nations."

Navarane’s comment came days after RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for the civil society to lead, highlighting the loss of confidence for Pakistan's military and political leadership in India’s worldview.

While Hosabale advocated people-to-people contact and an uninterrupted window for dialogue, Navrane mentioned "track two" diplomacy or a sporting event adding that such contact remains a crucial element in ensuring regional stability.

Even as the former Army Chief called for disputes to be resolved through discussion, “...this does not mean we cannot use military force. India is a country that speaks the language of peace, but we will not hesitate to use force if needed," he added.

These comments by Navrane and Hosabale came days after media reports placed former Army generals and retired diplomats from India and Pakistan in Qatar as the countries seek to open back-channels even if informal. Diplomatic engagements took a nosedive last year with the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.