India can hit hard: Doval on Operation Sindoor

Sending out a stern warning to the perpetrators of terrorism, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has said India’s generosity and tolerance should not be mistaken for weakness, asserting that the country can take risks and hit hard, irrespective of the consequences.

Breaking silence over Operation Sindoor for the first time, he said the objective of the 88-hour military operation was to destroy enemy camps, particularly those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack.

Speaking in the upcoming Discovery docuseries “Declassified: Operation Sindoor”, Doval said, “We had decided the objective of the operation as destruction of the enemy camps, particularly those who had been responsible for the Pahalgam attack.”

“Message to the world is very clear — India’s generosity or India being tolerant should not be mistaken for its weakness. India can take risks, India can hit hard, irrespective of the consequences,” he added.

The two-part docuseries brings together India’s military and national security leadership to recount the decisions and events surrounding Operation Sindoor, with first-hand accounts from those who oversaw India’s response, Discovery said in a statement. In the show, Doval offers an account of the decision-making and resolve behind the military response, it added. “Declassified: Operation Sindoor” will premiere on Saturday at 9 pm on Discovery and streaming service discovery+.

Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 last year in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 innocents were killed, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The punitive action by the Indian armed forces killed more than 100 terrorists deep inside Pakistan and destroyed several strategic assets including air fields and other installations.

Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.

The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.

The remarks reiterate India’s shift toward an active deterrence posture, signaling that restraint does not limit the country’s capacity or willingness to respond forcefully to cross-border threats.

Doval’s remarks offer a rare insight into the strategic thinking behind Operation Sindoor and the resolve at the highest levels of India’s national security establishment following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The two-part docuseries brings together India’s senior military and national security leadership, operational commanders and frontline personnel who were involved in planning and executing the 88-hour response.

The series also examines the military thinking that followed once the objective had been set, including target assessment, decisions taken as the situation developed and the responsibility placed on those carrying out the mission.

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said the Pahalgam attack had deeply affected the country and that India had decided not to bow to such threats.

“Like, I think, all citizens of the country, we were actually hit by the brutality of this attack. I think it was most barbaric. It was decided that India would not bow down to such kinds of threats,” Chauhan said.

He also stressed the importance of knowing when to bring a conflict to an end. “At a strategic level, I think that knowing when to stop a conflict is equally important. It is easy to start a war; it is very difficult to stop it,” the former CDS said.

Chauhan also spoke about the decision to have two women officers represent the armed forces during press briefings on Operation Sindoor.

“From the armed forces, we were represented by two women officers, and it conveyed two important messages: that the women of India will not be deterred by these cowardly attacks, and that the social and emotional fabric of India will remain unaffected even by such kinds of challenges,” he said.

According to Discovery, the first part of Declassified: Operation Sindoor traces the developments after the Pahalgam attack, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, target identification and preparations for the operation.

Teams carried out mock drills and planned for multiple scenarios as they worked towards a precise operation designed to minimise civilian and military casualties.

The second part moves from planning to execution, taking viewers inside the operation as it unfolded. It examines the coordination between the Army, Navy and Air Force, the tense moments before the strikes and the decisions taken in real time. The series then follows the operation through to confirmation that the mission had been completed.