A WAR THAT LINGERS

A year on, Operation Sindoor's significance lies in the transformation it has triggered-precision strikes, drone warfare and doctrinal change reshaping India-Pakistan security dynamics

- SANJIB KR BARUAH

War is the realm of uncertainty," wrote the renowned Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz. "Three quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty." He could well have been writing about Operation Sindoor. A year after India struck nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, that fog has only been compounded by the predominance of artificial intelligence, the impact of social media and elements of misinformation, disinformation and wrong information.

India's assertion that "Sindoor is still continuing" reflect this unresolved state, mirrored by Pakistan's framing of its response under "Bunyanun Marsoos". Neither side appears to treat the episode as concluded; instead, it has evolved into a reference point for future conflict.

For the wider world, the 88-hour confrontation served as a reminder that South Asia remains a nuclear flashpoint.

Operation Sindoor saw the first-ever use of cruise and longrange missiles between the two neighbours, alongside a full-scale drone war. Pakistan deployed drones ranging from basic models to the sophisticated Turkish YIHA kamikaze and the Asisguard Songar combat drones. India responded effectively with Israeli-made Harpy and Harop drones operated by the Army, while the Navy's MARCOS commandos operated Palm 120 and AI-enabled Palm 400 kamikaze drones-proof of theaterisation in action.

The operation began on the night of May 6-7, 2025.

For Colonel Koshank Lamba, commanding officer of the 302 Medium Regiment, the moment was unlike any he had faced before. Deployed near the Line of Control after days of rapid mobilisation, he was tasked with executing a strike where timing and accuracy were critical. Before the clock struck 0100 hours, Lamba must have paused for a moment of reflection. His orders were unambiguous: strike the adversary where it mattered most, and strike hard.