Lt Col (Retd) Pawan Singh
Operation Sindoor is no secret. It has become ubiquitous and is synonymous with new and modern India. The cowardly and dastardly act of killing of innocent tourists at Pahalgam in Kashmir on 22 April 2025 by Pakistan sponsored terrorists in the name of religion was deplorable and was widely condemned by one and all in India and abroad who believe in humanity, love, peace and harmony in the world. The nefarious design of Pakistan to destabilise India and wedge a communal divide, once again got exposed. The watershed moment in the Indian history came as a response to the ghastly attack on civilian tourists by the enemy of humanity. Terrorist has no religion. Every sane person distances from ill doer and abhor such an inhuman act.
The Indian response to Pahalgam terrorist attack on 07 May 2025 was very calculated, deliberate, precise and non-escalatory targeting only terrorists and terror camps across in POJK and Pakistan Punjab. As per official report, nine terrorist camps were destroyed and around hundred terrorists were killed in precision strike by India. Pakistan reacted expectedly shielding non state actors and targeted our civilian population and of course, military installations including airbases. Given free hand, Indian armed forces rose to the occasion displayed professionalism and synergy of highest standard thwarted every drone swarm and missile attack by Pakistan with minimal or no confirmed damage to military assets. Both indigenously developed air defence weapon systems and foreign systems proved their worth perhaps beyond expected efficacy. Be it Akashteer, S-400 (Sudarshan Chakra) and missile systems. Now we have war tested weapon systems. Pakistan’s escalatory response necessitated the expansion of Op Sindoor’s scope. As a result India struck 11 key airbases and incapacitated Pakistan’s front line air defence infrastructure to a large extent including radar installations in Lahore and Gujranwala.
Apart from our armed forces, political dispensation displayed its will to just not take the bull by its horns but shake it hard. India put up a united move in the face of such a dire situation. Both kinetic operations and non kinetic offensive by India will carry profoundly long term strategic consequences. The most critical one is suspension of IWT, a powerful economic pressure point.
Time stamped satellite images of destruction inflicted on Pakistan terror infrastructure and military assets by Indian space assets have also been corroborated by private satellite firm (Maxar technologies) with high resolution images, set a standard for transparency in hybrid warfare.
New Indian political-military posture has evolved from strategic constraint to offensive deterrence. India has made it unequivocally clear that any major terrorist attack on Indian soil will be treated as an act of war. The new red lines are not ambiguous. The message is loud and clear. The response will not be limited to symbolic retaliation but will involve decisive and disproportionate forcing the adversary to reconsider the cost of any hostile action.
Op Sindoor is yet not over but in a strategic pause. Indian government sending all party delegations comprising national, regional, big and small parties to thirty two countries to take India’s strong message against terrorism is a great and inclusive idea worth appreciation. India also needs to vehemently put pressure from all corners to expose and isolate Pakistan. Need to strongly oppose funding to Pakistan by IMF and other agencies.
Dog’s tale cannot be straightened. So is the case with Pakistan. The nationalism in Pakistan is built around antipathy to India and Islam as political slogan. Suffice to know that military in Pakistan dictates term. So it becomes all the more important for India to be ever watchful and remain a step ahead militarily and diplomatically. In order to have narrative control, India needs to launch civic awareness campaigns against misinformation and for civic responsibility as well. As it is understood and agreed that terrorists cannot survive and succeed sans local support. India must tackle the issue of OGWs punitively. They should in no way be treated less than any anti national and be tried for treason. Local population ought to come forward to fail these anti social and enemy of our nation in their vicious designs and render full support to civil administration and armed forces for wheel of development and growth to roll on in a free, secure and safe environment.
India is a fast growing economy with a set goal. So long term strategic stability on its term is very important. Besides guarding our territory we need to collectively stand up to guard our national will, cohesion and legitimacy in such critical juncture.
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