Operation Sindoor: CDS, service chiefs brief President Droupadi Murmu, veterans
President Droupadi Murmu commended the valour and the dedication of the armed forces that made India’s response to terrorism a sterling success
The chief of the defence staff (CDS) and the three service chiefs on Wednesday briefed President Droupadi Murmu on how Operation Sindoor was planned, executed during May 7-10 with minimum collateral damage, and the goals achieved as India’s direct military response to the Pahalgam terror attack unfolded in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), officials said.
“The President commended the valour and the dedication of the armed forces that made India’s response to terrorism a sterling success,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said after the meeting.
It came a day after the CDS and the three chiefs briefed veterans and members of think tanks on the operation launched in the early hours of May 7, when India hit nine terror camps inside Pakistan and PoK, killing over 100 terrorists. And between the strike on the terror camps and the calling of the ceasefire on May 10, the Indian Air Force (IAF) struck multiple military targets in Pakistan.
The one-hour briefing for the veterans at Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantt covered all aspects of the carefully planned and executed operation, including the successful conduct of new-age multi-domain operations that involved an exceptional degree of jointness and integration, officials said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with veterans at his residence on May 9, a day before the ceasefire was announced.
The Indian and Pakistani directors general of military operations agreed to halt firing the military action on land, in the air, and sea starting 5pm on Saturday, May 10. They spoke again over a hotline on May 12 for follow-up action to uphold the truce. The two agreed that neither side would fire a single shot.
On Tuesday, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) chief Lieutenant General DS Rana briefed foreign service attaches of 70 countries on the successful conduct of Operation Sindoor, stressing that New Delhi’s retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike has set a new normal in the India-Pakistan relationship; the latest step to undercut Islamabad at an international level.
Rana told them the operation showcased India’s strength, resolve, and military superiority in new-age warfare.
Modi has made it clear that the strikes on “universities of terror” sponsored by Islamabad marked a new normal. “India’s Lakshman Rekha [red line] against terrorism is now crystal clear. If there is another terror attack, the country will deliver a decisive response. The Indian armed forces have sent a clear message to Pakistan: there is no haven left for terrorists...Every moment of Operation Sindoor is a testament to the strength of India’s military,” Modi said during a visit to the Adampur airbase on Tuesday.
Rana highlighted the Indian military’s technological superiority in niche domains such as space, cyber, and electronic warfare, and the relentless disinformation campaign launched by Pakistan and its ramifications for regional peace and stability.
Modi’s visit to the Adampur airbase was significant as it punctured Pakistan’s extensive disinformation campaign about striking several Indian military installations, including airbases, during May 7-10.
Adampur, one of the premier bases of the IAF, is among those that Pakistan falsely claimed to have attacked, destroying the Russian-origin S-400 air defence systems deployed there, hitting the runway and fighter jets, and striking a radar site too.
Images from the airbase, home to the IAF’s MiG-29 fighters, included a photo of Modi in front of an S-400 launcher; the first public image of the long-range air defence system in service. Another photo of Modi interacting with the men and women at the base showed a MiG-29 fighter with a fully intact runway in the background.
