Operation Sindoor: An emphatic win for India

During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Pakistan conceded defeat before the Indian forces within just 88 hours. Not only did Pakistan acknowledge India’s might, but the entire world was left stunned upon witnessing India’s power.

India executed a deadly strike at a distance of over 100 kilometers deep inside Pakistan; through the remarkable coordination of its three-armed forces, India neutralized nine dangerous terrorist hideouts spread across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). These hideouts were the hubs of dangerous terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen, where terrorists were trained against India and then secretly sent to spread terrorism in India.

Through these long-range attacks, India sent a strong message to Pakistan that no terrorist hideout established there, is beyond India’s military reach. In these attacks, India gave the enemy a clear example of its precision targeting, operational reach, and unwavering resolve.

More than 100 terrorists were killed in these attacks, including the dreaded terrorists Yusuf Azhar (involved in the IC-814 aircraft hijacking), Abdul Malik Rauf, and Mudassir Ahmed (involved in the Pulwama attack).

The most significant aspect of Operation Sindoor was that India remained undeterred by Pakistan’s threat of a nuclear attack and exposed it as hollow. India shattered the illusion regarding the very nuclear capability that Pakistan considered to be its defensive shield.

Another remarkable aspect of this conflict was that India brought it to a conclusion — on its own terms — within just four days of achieving its objectives. We are seeing the Iran-America and Russia-Ukraine wars, where the wars start but they cannot end due to lack of diplomatic and military support. The swift and successful conclusion of ‘Operation Sindoor’ was the direct result of India’s clarity of objectives, military prowess, restraint, and astute diplomacy. This achievement is unprecedented in world history and is being praised across the globe; indeed, major global institutions are currently conducting research and analysis on this very subject.

Most wars result in extensive damage — effects that often extend beyond the borders of the nations involved and impact not only their economies but also their ordinary citizens. A distinctive feature of Operation Sindoor was that, while terrorist strongholds in Pakistan were successfully dismantled, the conflict had absolutely no adverse impact on India. The missiles fired by Pakistan were intercepted and destroyed mid-air, failing to inflict any damage within Indian territory. This conflict neither triggered instability in any third country — unlike the current Iran-US situation, where oil shortages have created an atmosphere of global instability — nor did it cast any negative shadow upon India’s economy. This stands as a testament to India’s robust strategic planning, modern technology, and precise execution. As a nation, this demonstrates India’s maturity.

In addition to terrorist targets, 11 key Pakistani military installations were also targeted, including Nur Khan Airbase, Rafiq Airbase, Murid Airbase, and Sargodha Airbase, causing significant damage to Pakistan’s military capabilities.

India is the first country in world history to target 11 military bases of a nuclear-armed nation in a single operation. In that, India destroyed 20 per cent of Pakistan’s Air Force. Moreover, India accomplished all of this within a mere four days — an achievement unprecedented in history.

‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) made a substantial contribution to this conflict. The ‘BrahMos’ and ‘Akash’ missiles, the ‘Akashteer’ system, the ‘Tejas’ aircraft, along with various other modern indigenous weapons and military equipment, delivered exceptional performance and played a decisive role in the war. The world witnessed a tangible demonstration of India’s technological self-reliance and acknowledged its prowess. Today, there is an immense global demand for our indigenous military hardware. Not only does this contribute to strengthening our economy, but it also safeguards us from military dependence on other nations — a factor of paramount importance for our national security.

Operation Sindoor will be written in golden letters in the history of our nation. It presented to the world a powerful testament to India’s military might, diplomatic acumen, self-reliance, and unwavering resolve against terrorism. It showed the world what a restrained attack is and how it is carried out directly.

This war has delivered such a resounding message to Pakistan — and to the terrorist organizations dancing to its tunes — that they will not be able to forget it for a long time to come.

This war established new dimensions of inter-service coordination among India’s three armed forces, a factor that contributed to the spectacular success achieved in this conflict. The lessons learnt in this will be very helpful in making the framework of our country’s proposed ‘Joint Theatre Command’ more effective.

According to the Government of India, we have not yet ended the war, but have merely called a temporary halt; should Pakistan dare to undertake any further acts of terror, this war will be resumed — with consequences far more dire than before.

This was merely a trailer; the movie is yet to come, my friend! (Yeh to sirf ek trailer tha, picture to abhi baki hai mere dost !!)

The writer is a retired Rear Admiral of the Indian Navy; Views presented are personal.