"Op Sindoor 2.0 has to be more deadly": GOC-in-C Western Command Lt Gen Manoj Katiyar

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 14 (ANI): General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Western Command, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, on Tuesday called for "deadlier" Operation Sindoor 2.0, if Pakistan continues terror attacks in India.
Speaking to reporters in Jammu, Lt Gen Katiyar said that India's response next time would be greater, compared to the number of airbases and military posts destroyed during Operation Sindoor.
"Unless Pakistan's way of thinking changes, it will continue to take the actions it has taken. In Operation Sindoor, we have destroyed its airbases and posts, but it may attempt something again. Whatever action we take this time will be more than last time... Operation Sindoor 2.0 has to be more deadly," he said.
Operation Sindoor was initiated on May 7, 2025, as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals. The Operation was conceived as a punitive and targeted campaign to dismantle the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC) and inside Pakistan.
Multi-agency intelligence provided confirmation of nine major camps that were eventually targeted in the operation, a press release by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.
Earlier today, Lieutenant General Manoj Katiyar hailed Operation Sindoor, saying the Indian Army gave a befitting reply to Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Addressing the Ex-servicemen Rally to commemorate 60 years of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Lt Gen Katiyar said that Operation Sindoor was successful due to the support from the administration, ex-servicemen and local people.
He said, "Terrorists killed our innocent people in the Pahalgam attack. The Indian Army gave a befitting reply to Pakistan. Operation Sindoor was successful as we got the support from the administration, ex-servicemen and local people."
He assured the public of the Indian Army's readiness to thwart future attacks by the neighbouring nation.
"Pakistan will try to attack us again; they always try to do a Pahalgam-like attack, and we have to be alert. I assure you that the India Army is ready to thwart any nefarious designs of Pakistan," he said.
Recounting the 1965 war, he said that the reason for Pakistan's defeat was that they underestimated the patriotism of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
"We won the trust of the people of the nation after defeating Pakistan in the 1965 war, and that trust is intact today. Pakistan had an aim to capture Jammu and Kashmir. About 10,000 Razakars trained by the Pakistani army infiltrated. But they made a mistake in measuring the patriotism of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. With the help of the public, the Indian Army chased them away," Lt Gen Manoj Katiyar said.
The 60th anniversary of the ceasefire that ended the 1965 Indo-Pak War was observed on September 23, 2025. (ANI)