Operation Sindoor hit terrorists; Pakistan Army made it their war: DGMO

Guwahati, May 12: In its second consecutive briefing on Monday, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) said that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist establishments in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan. However, he noted, the Pakistan Army escalated the situation, turning it into their own war.

“Our primary objective was to target terrorist hubs on May 7. The Pakistan Army, however, backed these terrorists, transforming this conflict into their own war. We retaliated accordingly,” said DG Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, during the briefing.

The briefing outlined the success of India’s robust air defence (AD) system, which played a critical role in thwarting numerous Pakistani air attacks. Air Marshal Bharti highlighted the system’s multilayered structure, integrating assets from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and the primary air defence assets of the Indian Air Force.

“This integrated system, including advanced sensors and weaponry, was crucial in defending our airspace,” Bharti said, also noting the performance of indigenous air defence weapons such as the Akash system and counter-UAS technologies.

He further praised older, battle-tested systems like the Pechora and Osa-AK for effectively countering enemy threats.

The Air Marshal credited government support over the past decade for strengthening India’s air defences, creating an “impregnable shield” that successfully repelled Pakistani attacks.

The briefing, attended by the Directors General of the tri-services, began with a music video featuring footage of the services in action, accompanied by the poem Yachna Nahin, Ab Ran Hoga by renowned poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, setting the tone for the discussion.

DGMO Rajiv Ghai spoke about the strategic importance of India’s counter-drone and air defence systems, describing them as decisive in thwarting Pakistan’s air assaults on the nights of May 9 and 10.

“Our defence systems successfully destroyed Chinese and Turkish-made drones and PL-15 missiles, preventing them from breaching our airspace,” Ghai said.

To illustrate the layered nature of India’s air defence, Ghai drew an analogy from cricket. Referring to the 1970s Ashes series between England and Australia, he invoked a popular saying of the time - “From Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Thomo doesn’t get you, Lillee must.”

“Much like the relentless pace duo of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee back then, our multi-tiered air defence ensures that if one layer doesn’t intercept, the next will,” he said.

The Indian Armed Forces also shared visuals of a crater created by Indian bombs and missiles at Pakistan’s Noor Khan airbase.

Ghai assured that Indian airfields remained fully operational despite the attacks, and praised the Border Security Force (BSF) for their complementary role in India’s counter-armed response.

“We witnessed exceptional synergy between the three services, supported by government agencies and the unwavering backing of our 1.4 billion citizens,” Ghai said.

Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod underscored the Indian Navy’s significant role in deterring both the Pakistani Navy and Air Force from entering the Arabian Sea during the operation.

- With inputs from agencies