'India Must...': Ex-CDS Chauhan On China 'Challenge', Pakistan’s 'Overconfidence' After Mecca Pact

Former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan (Retd) discusses the evolving security challenges posed by Pakistan and China, and what they mean for India’s strategic choices. He warns that Pakistan’s new defence partnerships could create overconfidence and lead to fresh miscalculations, while terrorism and proxy warfare remain central to Islamabad’s strategy. The discussion also examines Pakistan’s nuclear posture, the stability-instability paradox, and why countering terrorism requires targeting the wider ecosystem of ideology, recruitment, financing and state support. At the same time, Gen Chauhan describes China as a fundamentally different, long-term and comprehensive challenge, arguing that India’s relationship with Beijing cannot be defined solely by the unresolved boundary question. The conversation explores deterrence, strategic autonomy and India’s evolving approach to both neighbours.