A ceasefire is welcome provided there is a principled commitment to ending terrorism resulting in a less uncertain future.
Introduction
At 1700 hours on 10 May a ceasefire was announced leading to the stoppage of firing and military hostilities between India and Pakistan. The Pakistan Director General Military Operations Major General Kashif Abdullah had initiated a call on the morning of 10 May with his counterpart Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai followed by another call at 1535 hours. After which discussions took place and an understanding reached. As per official sources the decision to stop military actions was taken bilaterally.
In previous statements it had made very clear that India’s actions were not escalatory in nature however we would respond if Pakistan retaliates. With this position which had been articulated we agreed to the ceasefire. While the aim was to avenge Pahalgam the purpose was to send the right message to Pakistan that there is zero tolerance to terrorism and that an act of terror will be constituted and treated as an of war. We also shifted to targeting the backers of terrorists from merely terrorists.
Hitting the minds of the military was evident in the selection of targets right from the first day. Firing at Rawalpindi showcased that we had the ability to target the GHQ. Unlike the actions taken post Uri and Balakot, where targets were only engaged in PoJK and Khyber, the sheer scope, range and intensity has changed the matrix. India’s political will to take punitive measures along with the Armed Forces ability to deliver was clearly visible. The signaling was clear and no longer shrouded.
Achievements
The Indian Armed Forces successfully executed its assigned tasks in Operation Sindoor, with precision and professionalism. Operations were conducted in a deliberate and discreet manner, aligned with national objectives.
As per Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai “Operation Sindoor was conceptualised with a clear military aim to punish the perpetrators and planners of terror and to destroy their terror infrastructure. Very diligent and microscopic scarring of terror landscapes across the border and the identification of terror camps and training sites.
The primary objective was to deliver a decisive blow to Pakistan’s terror infrastructure following the Pahalgam attack. On the first night it achieved this by targeting nine terror launchpads and camps deep inside Pakistan and PoJK. The precision strikes, executed with advanced weaponry, not only neutralised immediate threats but also but also disrupted Pakistan’s ability to stage future attacks.
India’s retaliatory strikes targeted eight Pakistani military sites, including command and control centres at air bases such as Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Sargodha, Jacobabad and several others. The destruction of air bases, represents a significant blow to Pakistan’s military capabilities, particularly its Air Force, which plays a critical role in its defence strategy. These strikes, executed with air-launched precision weapons, underscore India’s technological superiority and its willingness to target not just terrorist infrastructure but also state assets complicit in supporting terrorism.
Pakistan has suffered heavy losses after its provocative action against India, and its offensive and defensive capabilities have been ‘dismantled’. By eliminating terror camps, crippling air bases, and securing global backing, the rules of engagement have been redefined. Further we have struck deep into Pakistan for the first time after 1971 as we never crossed the Line of Control in 1999.
India’s shield of sensors, missiles, and jammers protected the Indian airspace from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujrat, as Pakistan fired a swarm of drones and missiles during Operation Sindoor. Incoming threats were identified, tracked and neuteralised down by India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems.
The holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty on 24 April, a non-kinetic measure in response to the Pahalgam attack has many consequences for Pakistan and has emerged as a powerful tool of strategic coercion.
To quote Defence minister Rajnath Singh the “roar of Indian forces reached all the way to Rawalpindi” the nerve centre of the Pakistani military establishment. Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but a symbol of India’s political, social, and military willpower. This operation is a demonstration of India’s firm resolve and military strength against terrorism”.
Looking Back at History
Looking back in history is revealing. While history does not always repeat itself but it always echoes. In 1963 both India and Pakistan were close to arriving at an Agreement regarding Kashmir. Talks were taking place between the then External Affairs Minister Sardar Swaran Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, held six rounds of talks over Kashmir.
However, Pakistan announced that it had reached a border agreement with China when they handed Shaksgam Valley in Gilgit Baltistan to them. By a formal border treaty, Pakistan and China set the stage for their future infrastructure projects in the area, such as the Karakorum highway and the CPEC which would bind the two countries closer together. Naturally, the talks no longer held any meaning.
In 1965, following the attack in Kutch, the Prime Minister of UK, Harold Wilson proposed a ceasefire which was signed through the UN on 30 June 1965, but soon after Pakistan launched Operation Gibralter. In both 1965 and 1971, there were instances of ceasefire violations and Indian troops were then forced to launch attacks to recapture territory that had been occupied post the ceasefire. One such case took place in 1971 in Karanpur Subsector of Ganganagar in Rajasthan wherein 4 PARA and a Squadron of 18 Cavalry evicted the intrusion.
In 1999, after the Lahore summit, the occupation of un-held areas in Kargil masterminded by General Pervez Musharraf was once again a betrayal of a peace process.
Pakistan also has a manner and method of trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility for carrying out terror. An article in the Friday Times by Hurmat Ali Shah is revealing of Pakistan’s complicity and denial. The “Mumbai attacks where there was a clear involvement of Pakistani officials. But for that, too, one has to understand that it was an operation carried out by mid-ranking operatives of the intelligence agencies who were busy in the Kashmir “Jihad”. The Kashmir Jihad was a decentralized affair, and mid-ranking officers had total operational and strategic control.” What can be a more bizarre admission of guilt but not responsibility.
There were therefore some voices that felt that only terminal punishment would make Pakistan change its behaviour. We therefore need to be careful with expectations about the road ahead.
Lessons Learnt
While analysts will draw out lessons ranging from the strategic, operational and tactical levels from this round of retaliatory conflicts, the professionalism displayed by India’s Armed Forces remains outstanding. They have delivered.
There is a need to focus on the escalatory steps and thresholds as well as the effectiveness of technology and the evolution in the character of war. There will also be many countries who will be studying the efficacy and performance of Chinese origin equipment fielded by Pakistan.
At the military level there would be immense lessons. Some of these would lie in the domain of intelligence, networking, sensor to shooter data transfer and reactions in allocating appropriate weapon systems for destruction. Interoperability between the surveillance assets of the three Services and of course sustenance of forces and civil military interfaces.
Apart from this a very important lesson has come out regarding strategic communication. While the Indian media, both mainstream and the social media have been at the forefront as far as giving support and pushing the narrative. But there has also been a large spread misinformation on social media and AI generated content created panic aimed at eroding trust in government reports. We must control the narrative.
The as per the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; “what should have been a moment of international reckoning against terror has instead been manipulated into a disinformation war, where truth is the first casualty”. Spreading incorrect information regarding the downing of own planes and drones, explosions and targeting of civilians was rampant in the media across the border. But there were also some within spreading unverified information as also the statement of a prominent author who wrote on X “This war is a drama created by the ruling elites on both sides, who exploit fear and hatred for their own benefit.”
The actions taken at the political, diplomatic, socio- economic and finally military domains saw a whole government and whole of the nation approach to national security which is imperative to ensure a secure and strong India. This must be our focus area.
Conclusion
Pakistan has been carrying out violent acts against India at the sub-conventional level, drawing strength from the premise that India would not react in the conventional space due to the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear weapon state with a doctrine of irrationality.
India had demonstrated its ability to use conventional weapons with a nuclear overhang in Kargil in 1999 and again in Balakot but now the fundamentals are clear, the window between a sub-conventional terror strike and conventional military strikes has been closed. There will be no distinction. India’s response has changed.
Though escalation remained at the lower rungs of the ladder, there is no doubt that Operation Sindoor has raised the costs for Pakistan in using terror as an instrument of state policy. What was witnessed were only the preliminary operations prior to the launch of a ground offensive which would have dealt a decisive blow.
The initial phase of battle was dominated by standoff missile strikes, precision guided long range and with high impact. The use of drones, both armed and surveillance, both low cost and high cost, at varying operational depths. These actions enabled degradation of capabilities from a distance, minimizing troop casualty while targeting terrorist structures, radars and airbases thus shaping the battlefield before direct engagement. We also witnessed the use of own air defence and finally the only direct engagements were at the LoC where Pakistan targeted civilian population centres. No wonder General Naravane, the former Army Chief, had tweeted the first day “picture baki hai”.
Strong leadership has been demonstrated through foresight, restraint, clarity and the ability and willingness to deliver. There is a need to build future capabilities as far as hard power is concerned catering for sustained operations. Deterrence lies in capabilities, abilities and also a willingness and demonstration of intent.
While the ceasefire will be followed by talks, what needs to be ensured is that India must get guarantees in no uncertain terms that Pakistan will desist from supporting terrorism in all its manifestations and take action to hand over those involved in terrorist activities to India.
A ceasefire is welcome provided there is a principled commitment to ending terrorism resulting in a less uncertain future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Major General Jagatbir Singh VSM, (Retd), has held various command, staff and instructional appointments and served in varied terrains in the country. He has served in a United Nations Peace Keeping Mission as a Military Observer in Iraq and Kuwait. He has been an instructor to Indian Military Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has commanded the prestigious 1 Armoured Division. He is a prolific writer in defence& national security and is a Distinguished Fellow at USI.
