What did India prove in Operation Sindoor

Harsha Kakar
Operation Sindoor was a perfectly planned and executed operation, an example of synergy and exploiting existing capabilities. The operation was conducted when the world was already engulfed with the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts, both ongoing for some time, with no end in sight. There was uncertainty whether this too would take a similar route or be even more devastating as both nations are nuclear powers.
The trigger for Operation Sindoor was the brutal terrorist strike on innocent tourists in Pahalgam. The nation demanded a response and the Government announced its intent of a military strike, amongst other measures. The PM, giving a free hand to the armed forces, mentioned ‘the mode of retaliation, the choice of targets, and the timing of the response,’ will be determined by them.
Russo-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars have witnessed loss of civilian lives as also destruction of infrastructure on a large scale. In both cases occupation of territory was the intent. However, India had decided not to target civilians nor Pakistan’s civilian infrastructure nor occupy its territory, unless Pakistan compelled India to do so.
PM Modi had announced that India’s battle was against Pak sponsored terrorists and their leadership, who target innocents, not the people of Pakistan. These directions of the Government were strictly adhered to by the armed forces.
Before any major operation is launched the politico-military leadership determine the broad approach to be adopted. Carl von Clausewitz had mentioned, ‘War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.’ The intent of the Government was destruction of terrorist camps spread across the country, reiterating its policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards terrorism.
Operations would conclude if Pakistan did not respond to strikes on its terrorist infrastructure. In case it did, every escalation would be countered by a calibrated response, targeting specific military and strategic targets, intending to push the Pak military to demand cessation of hostilities. Naval power was kept in reserve for major levels of escalation. This was largely the strategy and it worked.
To highlight India’s intent, the Indian DGMO left a message on the Hotline with his Pak counterpart, post striking terrorist camps, emphasizing that no military installations nor civilian pockets have been engaged. This, despite Pakistan targeting Indian civilians along the LoC, especially in the Poonch and Uri sectors.
It was hoped that the Pak army would seize the moment and end hostilities. On the contrary, Pakistan promised a response. India, in retaliation, delivered a powerful and impactful message by targeting their strategic assets, pushing Rawalpindi onto the back foot, opening doors for a devastating counterstrike.
Such operations could not have been launched without Indian armed forces possessing requisite capabilities. Military capabilities are never built overnight but steadily over a period of time. Defence procurement is slow and costly as also amalgamating new equipment into tactics and strategy an even longer process.
Post Uri, there was an awareness that there could be terrorist incidents which would warrant a counterstrike and hence they need to be prepared. Lessons from Balakote and ongoing conflicts were studied and procurements made accordingly. Hence, when called upon to act, there was no hesitation.
The success of Operation Sindoor can be attributed to synergy between the Government and military, within the armed forces itself, and between the armed forces and technical and intelligence agencies. The Government, after laying down its guidelines, left decision making to the forces.
The armed forces shared capabilities as also assets amongst themselves as well as jointly planned each stage of the operation. Terrorist camps, to be targeted, were divided between the army and air force, depending on their distance from the LoC. Air defence merits a special mention, as coordination by the air force of a vast variety of equipment of different countries, both old and new, is a case study in perfection.
Obtaining pinpoint location of terrorist camps as also knowing which camps were vacated at the last moment can only be available by regular and close monitoring by intelligence and technical agencies of the Government. Their inputs proved crucial for the armed forces in their planning and execution.
What did India announce to the world. It firstly conveyed that operations can be conducted under a nuclear threat. The PM, in his address to the nation, made it clear that India will no longer be restricted by Pakistan’s nuclear bogey. It was also a message to the world that stop considering Kashmir as a nuclear flashpoint.
More importantly, India sent the message that it is a responsible power, which will not target civilians nor damage infrastructure, despite the adversary doing so. Its targets were terrorist camps and assets belonging to those who support terrorists and subsequently military installations. Terrorist camps were so hit that neighbouring structures, including Masjids and residential complexes, were untouched. A vast difference from other nations currently involved in conflicts.
The other global message that India sent was that it needs no global sympathy. It will not go crying for condemnation on terrorist strikesto the UNSC nor seek world backing to curtail Pakistan’s support to terrorists. India had done so till 2014 but it had no impact. India will respond if attacked and hit hard. It will not bow down to pressure.
It was PM Modi, who in his address, debunked Trump’s comments on negotiating peace, insisting that the same was reached on the call made by the Pakistan DGMO to his Indian counterpart. The message was India will act in its interest and it did. Further, while Pakistan may debunk the Shimla agreement, for India, all issues between the two nations are bilateral, and India will not accept any mediation.
This military strike also displayed India’s confidence in its military power as also projected to the world that India is no longer a soft state.India will not hesitate to employ hard power, if threatened. Further, while India advocates that this is not the era for war, it is also not the era for terrorism. Delhi has set new benchmarks for terrorist strikes, which hopefully should become a global norm.
Finally, Indian defence equipment proved their mettle against the best of the Chinese and Turkish. India is now a defence manufacturer of repute and its products, cheaper than the west and more reliable, would be in far greater demand.
The author is Major General (Retd)

The post What did India prove in Operation Sindoor appeared first on Daily Excelsior.

News