Delivering a Broad Impact Within a Narrow Scope

India's response to the Pahalgam attack was both unprecedented and calibrated.

- CMDE SRIKANT B KESNUR, VSM (RETD)

While some may have expected more in terms of scale, what unfolded was deliberate and measured.

As many as nine camps were hit across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan itself. No military installations were targeted—only terror infrastructure. The operation was narrow in scope, but broad in impact.

What stood out was the finesse. India sent a clear message. We said, "This is our response. It's for you not to escalate from here." The optics, too, were striking—from the operation's name to the choice of two senior women officers at the press briefing. If I recall correctly, never before had the foreign secretary been flanked by two women in uniform at such a briefing. They looked extremely professional and lent credibility and poise to the announcement. The messaging ticked every box.

Compared to the strike on Balakot, the transparency this time was remarkable. Each site's selection was explained, and the rationale made public. Clearly, a lesson had been learned. Today's battlefields are more transparent—artificially, perhaps. But perception matters.