Military chiefs draw new red line on terror

India’s military top brass on Thursday issued a warning to Pakistan that no terror sanctuary across the border is safe. “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,” Lt General Rajiv Ghai said at a media briefing. “Operation Sindoor was not an end and it was just the beginning,” he added.

Lt General Ghai was accompanied by Air Marshal A K Bharti and Director General of Naval Operations Vice Admiral AN Pramod.

Noting that several terror camps have been shifted from the border region to depth areas, he said distance offers no sanctuary from India’s precision capabilities. “We will hit everything,” the officer said.

In his capacity as the Director General of Military Operations of the Indian Army last year, Ghai had played a key role along with his counterparts from the Indian Air Force and Navy in the execution of Operation Sindoor. He is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy).

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.

In his remarks, Air Marshal A K Bharti, who too played a crucial role as Director General of Air Operations in the implementation of Operation Sindoor, highlighted the “primacy of air power” in achieving desired results.

“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. Bharti is currently serving as Deputy Chief of the IAF.

“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.

Director General of Naval Operations Vice Admiral A N 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.