Jaipur, May 7 (JKNS): Marking the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, senior military commanders on Thursday declared that India has fundamentally changed its approach towards cross-border terrorism, asserting that no terror sanctuary across the Line of Control (LoC) remains safe under the country’s “new normal” doctrine.
As per news agency JKNS, the remarks were made during a high-level joint press conference in Jaipur addressed by senior officers of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, where the armed forces highlighted the strategic impact and military significance of Operation Sindoor launched following the Pahalgam terror attack last year.
Addressing the media, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), said India has altered the rules of engagement across the LoC and made it clear that terror infrastructure operating from across the border will remain under constant threat of action.
“No sanctuary across the LoC is safe anymore. We will strike wherever necessary and target every source of terror. The conditions, timing and method of action will remain ours,” Lt Gen Ghai said while referring to the government’s post-Pahalgam security doctrine announced after the attack.
He said Operation Sindoor was not a standalone military response but the beginning of a long-term and evolving strategy aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure and deterring future attacks sponsored from across the border.
“Operation Sindoor was not the end. It was only the beginning,” he asserted.
The officers said the operation reflected India’s willingness to respond decisively against terror outfits and those supporting them, while also showcasing the growing coordination among the armed forces in conducting multi-domain operations.
Senior military officials during the briefing also shared details regarding the military damage inflicted on Pakistan during the confrontation that followed the operation. Air Marshal Bharti stated that the Indian Air Force had targeted 11 Pakistan Air Force bases and destroyed 13 Pakistani aircraft during the escalation.
He said the scale and precision of India’s military strikes eventually forced Pakistan to seek cessation of hostilities.
The officers also dismissed Pakistan’s claims regarding the conflict, terming them “narrative warfare” lacking evidence and factual backing.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 last year in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. During the operation, Indian forces carried out strikes on multiple terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The operation later became a key symbol of India’s assertive counter-terror policy and was repeatedly referred to by the country’s leadership as a message that terrorism and those enabling it would no longer go unanswered.
Senior officers at Thursday’s briefing reiterated that India remains fully prepared to respond firmly to any future terror threats and said the armed forces continue to maintain high operational readiness along all sensitive frontiers. (JKNS)