Operation Sindoor: India's Calculated ‘Measured’ Strike Against Pakistan

On Wednesday (May 7), 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror-linked sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

- DR. S. KRISHNAN

The strikes deliberately avoided military or civilian infrastructure, aligning with India's evolving doctrine of strategic restraint aimed at countering terrorism without provoking full-scale conflict.

Dubbed Operation Sindoor, the action came in direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that left 26 civilians dead.

As tensions flared, what stood out in New Delhi's military response was its careful calibration. The Indian government described the operation as "measured, focused, and non-escalatory," making it clear that its targets were not Pakistani military assets or civilian infrastructure but terrorist sites alone.

Operation Sindoor, the strike India launched against nine terror hubs in Pakistan, was precise and sharp. It is also in line with India's rapidly increasing capabilities of striking enemies deep and precisely. The name is especially befitting—it has avenged the tears of the women who lost their husbands in Pahalgam. The strike has delivered justice to the 26 affected families.

LESSONS FROM HISTORY India's response has been along expected lines: precise and surgical. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Army has multi-dimensional capabilities, across air, land, sea, and space. Our enemies can never be sure about our response. At a time when India has risen to be the world's 4th largest economy, forces out there seek to undermine its continuing rise and growth, especially in its immediate neighborhood. The only guarantor of a Viksit Bharat is a Surakshit Bharat or a secure and strong India. To that end, India's security and intelligence modernization are important components of its growth strategy.