Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on Friday called out Pakistan for claiming “victory” during Operation Sindoor (May 7-10 last year), saying such assertions were based on “mere rhetoric”.Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Army’s Southern Command in Pune, Gen Chauhan questioned Islamabad’s claims. “Victory is not declared by mere rhetoric, as some entities in our neighbourhood have done. It must be demonstrated through evidence, like what we showcased during Operation Sindoor,” he said.The CDS cited the losses inflicted by Indian forces during the operation, adding that a sense of victory could not be built on “demolished terror infrastructure, damaged runways, crippled airfields and dysfunctional air defence systems”.More than 13 Pakistani airbases were hit and multiple terror camps were struck during the operation, he said.Gen Chauhan warned that rhetorical victories or slogans do not endure, stressing that actual victory lies in demonstrable outcomes. He also said India’s defence posture over the next decade must be shaped by a sober assessment of emerging challenges.“I believe it is increasingly becoming very competitive, confrontational, combative, fragile and technologically disruptive,” he said.On shifting global alignments, the CDS noted that “assumptions about permanent friends or adversaries are increasingly becoming unreliable”.“In today’s world, it is difficult to define who are your friends, allies, enemies or adversaries. India must therefore be prepared mentally, structurally and materially to act independently when required,” he added.Earlier, Southern Army Commander Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth spoke about the changing character of warfare, underlining the need for integrated, innovation-driven and self-reliant forces to retain operational advantage and strategic relevance in future conflicts.The seminar focused on jointness, aatmanirbharta, innovation and military-civil fusion, and was attended by senior military leaders, veterans, scientists, industry representatives, startups and academic experts.