E-Paper
Army chief holds review meet, grants commanders ‘full authority’ hit back at Pakistan's ceasefire violations
Operation Sindoor signals a shift in India’s stance on cross-border terror, setting a “new normal” in retaliation; it hasn’t ended yet, say govt sources.
The Indian Army on Sunday said that commanders have been granted full authority to respond to any ceasefire violation by Pakistan, referring to the understanding reached during the DGMO-level talks held on Saturday.
The statement came ater a review meeting of Chief of Air Staff General Upendra Dwivedi with the Army commanders.
In a post on X, the Army said, “Consequent to the ceasefire and airspace violations on night of 10-11 May 2025, #GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS reviewed the security situation with the Army Commanders of the Western Borders. The #COAS has granted full authority to the Army Commanders for counteraction in the kinetic domain to any violation of the understanding reached vide the DGMO talks of 10 May 2025.”
Government sources told Hindustan Times that after the May 7 strikes, “every Pakistani action was dealt with very firmly.”
Operation Sindoor ‘not concluded’
Sources added that Operation Sindoor has not ended and marks a shift in India’s approach to cross-border terrorism, establishing a "new normal" in its response. India’s stance since the May 7 strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is that any aggression from Pakistan will be met with a stronger counteraction; if Pakistan ceases hostilities, India will also hold fire.
Officials familiar with the matter said that dialogue with Pakistan will be limited strictly to DGMO-level communications, with no other bilateral issues on the table. The only Kashmir-related discussion India is open to is Pakistan returning the areas under its illegal occupation.
Further, the Indus Waters Treaty has been linked directly to terrorism concerns—India has decided the treaty will remain suspended as long as Pakistan supports cross-border terrorism. Officials added that the cost of such terrorism will be raised and Pakistan cannot continue terror activities while seeking selective cooperation with India.
Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, targeted nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK. This was in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali national.
After the operation, tensions escalated, with increased cross-border shelling from Pakistan and strong retaliatory action from India. Border areas were placed on high alert and experienced power blackouts during Pakistani attacks.
A ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was announced on May 10 after US President Donald Trump shared the development via Truth Social. However, just hours after the announcement, Pakistan violated the truce. India intercepted Pakistani drones during a blackout in Srinagar.
At a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the incident was a serious breach of the understanding reached earlier and that India takes such violations seriously.
Later on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level security meeting at his residence with defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and the chiefs of the three armed services. national security advisor Ajit Doval and chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan also attended.
