Military analysts, including then Ladakh Corps Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi and other retired senior officers such as Lt Gen SL Narasimhan, in their media interactions on the subject, have interpreted Rajnath Singh’s message, as a “free hand” to the Army chief to decided operational details. Other senior military analysts and officers too have noted that writing a book on an ongoing ‘sensitive’ conflict by the retired Army chief, albeit on an operation he was personally involved with, wasn’t necessary at the time the book was ready for publication in January 2024.