New Delhi, May 10: Retired Lieutenant General Satish Dua explained on Saturday that Pakistan can no longer hide behind its nuclear status to deter accountability, adding that the world recognises it as the epicentre of global terrorism.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, while responding to a question on whether 'Operation Sindoor' has destroyed Pakistan’s perception as a nuclear power base, he said, “That's a tough question to answer. It hasn’t destroyed the perception of nuclear power base. No. Nuclear power continues to be intact in Pakistan, as it is intact in India. The question is, can nuclear be used?”

He explained that Pakistan cannot use its nuclear threat lightly. “The world recognises Pakistan as the epicentre of global terrorism. To my mind, Pakistan cannot start using the nuclear bogey so easily. There is no existential threat to Pakistan. They are the ones who are attacking. We are only defending ourselves. We are only responding in time. So, we are not attacking them in such a manner that they have to use a nuclear card so far.”

On whether India has demonstrated its superiority in air defence, Lt Gen Dua said, “That is for everyone to see. It has happened. Not a single drone or missile has struck. Drones mainly. There has been no damage by them. But maybe they are also trying to probe our air defence system. They’re trying to seek gaps. And I’m sure they have seen that it's a very robust, integrated air defence grid.”

He also reflected on the impact of 'Operation Sindoor' on terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. “Terrorism in the Valley, I am not saying it will stop tomorrow. It will not. But we have to make the cost on the country so high that they have to stop supporting terrorism,” he stressed.

Lt Gen Dua stated that terrorism cannot be eliminated completely overnight. “Terrorism is not a tap that it will turn off 100 per cent. But we have to bring it below a certain threshold, in control. Some small radicalised elements will always remain. Some radicalised support from Pakistan will always remain. So, I do not see that going away anytime in a hurry. But we have to make sure that it is controlled.”

He also noted the importance of messaging in targeting terror hubs. “For example, if we have hit the terrorist hubs and headquarters, most of them are in very populated places. So, we are also giving a message to people of Pakistan that you should not tolerate these terrorist headquarters close to you, close to your establishment, your locality. So, we have to make the cost on Pakistan very heavy.”

(IANS)

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