Op Sindoor: India's Atmanirbhar resolve and the new architecture of deterrence

The decisive response was not a product of improvisation but the result of years of structural reform and strategic investment in India's defence capabilities under the Modi government.

- ANIL ANTONY

India's security doctrine has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, culminating in a decisive response to the Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam. This watershed moment marked the unveiling of a new national security posture, one that treats state-sponsored terrorism as an act of war. In its retaliation, India articulated this doctrine through a calibrated blend of diplomatic assertiveness, economic pressure, cyber resilience, and military precision. The strategic ripples of Operation Sindoor, India's precision military campaign, are already being felt far beyond the subcontinent.

The opening response was diplomatic and strategic. India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, a substantive cornerstone of India-Pakistan relations since 1960. This was not just a revocation of a water-sharing agreement. It was a declaration that goodwill cannot coexist with state-sponsored terror. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphatically remarked, "Blood and water cannot flow together." Parallel to this, trade across the Attari border was shut down, choking a key economic artery and underscoring the message that terror and trade are mutually exclusive. These steps, taken before a single missile was launched, redefined the rules of engagement, setting the tone that India's patience should not be mistaken for passivity.

The military component of this new doctrine came alive with Operation Sindoor. In a coordinated, high-precision campaign, Indian forces targeted nine terrorist training camps deep inside Pakistan-occupied territory, neutralizing over 100 terrorists. These operations were executed with technological finesse and minimal collateral damage. Advanced combat aircraft, precision-guided missile systems, and a robust network of surveillance and intelligence made these strikes proportionate, measured, calibrated, non-escalatory and powerful.