Jaipur: No terror sanctuary across the Line of Control is safe, and India will target every terrorist infrastructure at a time and manner of its choosing, the Indian military said on Thursday, sending a clear warning to Pakistan on the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
Detailing what is now considered India’s most significant combat mission in five decades, the then heads of military operations for the three services elaborated on the strategic successes of the massive tri-services campaign during a media briefing here. They asserted that the window for military action against cross-border terrorism remains firmly open.
“No sanctuary across the Line of Control is safe. We will hit everything. We will go after everything and that has been made clear in the new normal that the prime minister said last year. But the conditions, the timing and the method will be ours,” said Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (strategy).
The timing and method for targeting terror infrastructure will remain at the Indian military’s discretion, he said.
In his capacity as the Director General of Military Operations of the Indian Army, Ghai had played a key role along with his counterparts from the Indian Air Force and Navy in the execution of Operation Sindoor.
“Operation Sindoor was not an end and it was just the beginning,” Lt Gen Ghai, currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), said.
In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year carrying out airstrikes on “nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir eliminating at least 100 terrorists.”
The strikes triggered a rapid escalation in tensions with Pakistan launching retaliatory strikes “though most of them were thwarted by the Indian military”. The hostilities ended with an understanding on halting military actions on May 10 following talks over the hotline between army officials of the two sides.
Lt Gen Ghai noted that several terror camps have been shifted from the border region to depth areas, but made it clear that distance offers no sanctuary from India’s precision capabilities.
The senior Army officer also highlighted how India quickly ended the conflict after achieving Operation Sindoor’s strategic objectives.
“In an era of prolonged conflicts around the world, we struck hard, achieved clearly defined objectives and then decided to cease hostilities when the Pakistanis were compelled to negotiate and requested us to stop,” he said.
“The objectives were achieved through a calibrated shot and sharp shock that altered the enemy’s risk appetite and disrupted his command and control without locking India into a long-drawn war or conflict,” he added.
Lt Gen Ghai said the Operation Sindoor showcased capabilities of India’s indigenous weapon systems and platforms and made a mention of BrahMos and Akash, missiles, homegrown surveillance and targeting systems and ammunition.
“Operation Sindoor was not an end. It was just the beginning. India’s fight against terror will go on. A year on, we remember not just the operation but also the principle behind it. India will defend its sovereignty, its security, and its people decisively, professionally and with the utmost responsibility,” he said.
In his remarks, Air Marshal A K Bharti, who too played a crucial role as Director General of Air Operations in implementation of Operation Sindoor, highlighted the “primacy of air power” in achieving desired results.
He said India’s military might is being strengthened significantly and that the India Air Force has been constantly monitoring the activities of China and Pakistan.
“We are continuously factoring in whatever they are (up to),” he said.
“We struck and decimated their nine terrorist camps. The proof is there for everybody to see. We struck 11 of their airfields. We destroyed 13 of their aircraft either on the ground or in the air, including one high-value airborne asset at a record distance of more than 300 kilometres,” he said.
Air Marshal Bharti, currently serving as Deputy Chief of the IAF, however, did not mention about losses of assets by his force.
“They (Pakistan) have not been able to inflict any major damage on our side; neither any military infrastructure nor much of the civilian structures,” he said.
“Whatever they may say, remember narratives and rhetoric do not give you victory. Victory is measured by hard facts,” he added.
The senior official said India achieved its objectives by carrying out Operation Sindoor.
“When the Pakistani establishment decided to side with terror and make it their own fight, we had no choice but to respond in kind. It was about self-defence, much beyond a counter-terror operation. When we responded, it was lethal and ruthless,” he said.
Director General of Naval Operations Vice Admiral AN Pramod said Operation Sindoor underscored the strategic vision of India’s approach in combating terrorism.
He said the forward deployment of the Indian Navy assets compelled Pakistani naval and air units to enter in a defensive posture and it largely confined the Pakistani Navy to harbours.
“Operation Sindoor validated India’s ability to respond to asymmetric provocation with deliberate, precise and proportionate force. It demonstrated that terror infrastructure and supporting military enablers can be targeted swiftly and effectively,” he said.
“The operation also highlighted the decisive role of indigenous cutting-edge technologies, platforms, systems and equipment, including drones,” he noted.
In his remarks, Lt Gen Ghai said Operation Sindoor underscored India’s “whole-of-government” approach in combating terrorism and that it played out in a clockwork fashion on the battlefield.
“They (Pakistan) lost more than 100 soldiers. Around 100 terrorists were killed in those nine terrorist camps,” he said.
“Inadvertently, their awards list was out on the internet and it told us that so many of those awards were given posthumously,” he said.
Lt Gen Ghai declined to mention the number of terrorist training camps currently operating across the Line of Control saying the numbers keep fluctuating.
“Some of these camps and launchpads have moved further in the depth where they feel that they will be safer. But as I said, no sanctuary is safe,” he said.
The senior military officer also talked about “collusivity” between Pakistan and China.
“The fact is that Pakistan and China in their own words have a relationship that is deeper than the seas, higher than the mountains, that’s a given. The fact that Pakistan has 80 per cent of its military equipment of Chinese origin is a given,” he said.
At the same time, he asserted that the Indian military is confident of dealing with any security challenge.
The officials also gave a detailed overview of how the three forces have been focusing on boosting overall combat prowess including through acquisitions of new platforms, weapons and critical technologies.
