Operation Sindoor decoded: 3 key takeaways from India’s strike on Pak terror

Operation Sindoor: The Indian Armed Forces – Army, Navy and Air Force – carried out Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6–7, to deliver justice to the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. As per the official statement, the armed forces conducted targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). As many as 21 terror camps were destroyed as part of Operation Sindoor. Now, the question arises – what signals did this major military action by India send? Check three takeaways from Operation Sindoor.

First

The major military action by India in response to the Pahalgam terror attack was not just about it. India’s portrayal of Operation Sindoor as a response to terrorism targeting it since 2001 reframed the narrative.

During the press briefing on Wednesday, the officials framed the operation as a response to all terror attacks on India sponsored by Pak since the attack on Parliament in 2001.

Pakistan-based and Pakistan-sponsored terrorist organisations, including the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba – both UN Security Council-designated terrorist groups – have claimed responsibility for these attacks.

India cited the case of Sajid Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, to illustrate Pakistan’s insufficient legal action against terrorist groups. Pakistan initially claimed Mir was deceased, but later reported his 2022 arrest, ostensibly in response to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) pressure.

Following the Pahalgam attack, the most recent and severe in a series of terrorist attacks, Sindoor launched strikes against the infrastructure of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan.

Second

India is aiming on the terrorists camps across the LoC without directly or deliberately targeting the Pak Army.

India’s public statements defending its cross-border strikes into Pakistan reiterate its previous stances from 2016 and 2019: military action will target terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control and International Border, while avoiding deliberate attacks on conventional military assets.

This characteristic of cross-border military action was clear to the then Foreign Secretary in 2019: a “non-military pre-emptive action… specifically targeted at the JeM camp”.

Six years later, yesterday, the Defence Ministry’s press release asserted the same: “no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted”.

India’s distinction between terrorist infrastructure and Pakistani military assets suggests a strategy to limit potential conflict escalation.

In 2016, the surgical strikes destroyed terror camps in PoK. In 2019, India destroyed camps in undisputed Pakistan across the LoC (Jabba Top, Balakot).

In 2025, Op Sindoor, India hit targets deep inside Pak and PoK.

Third

While destroying terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, India has sent a clear signal that it does not seek full-scale war.

New Delhi has described Operation Sindoor as “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”. Which clearly sends signals to Pak that it doesn’t seek full-scale war.

Pakistan’s recent military actions have undermined its ability to deter India and rendered its previous threats less credible. Further Pakistani aggression risks significant escalation and could invite retaliatory strikes against Pakistani military targets by India.

News