New Delhi [India], December 31 (ANI): It was a year in which India demonstrated its military might, technological prowess, the capability of its indigenous platforms, and its resolve of zero tolerance toward terrorism as it delivered a decisive response to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, forcing its western neighbor to seek a ceasefire.
India struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Sindoor on May 7 and effectively repelled Islamabad’s subsequent escalation, including attacks on Pakistani air bases. Experts said Operation Sindoor showed the world that India will confront terrorism head-on and has now graduated from a posture of surgical retaliation to one of doctrinal deterrence, assuring retaliation for every proven act of cross-border terror.
Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon (retd), who has served eight tenures in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operational areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, told ANI that air defense has emerged as the new sword arm of modern-day warfare.
He noted that despite the emergence of several new realities in India’s neighborhood, ranging from protests in Nepal and developments in Bangladesh under Interim Government Adviser Muhammad Yunus to the deepening of ties between India and Afghanistan, what has not changed over the decades is Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism.
“Pakistan’s only ambition in life is to keep India internally unstable, and as a result, the Pahalgam terror attack was carried out by Pakistan to divert attention away from its internal problems of ineffective politics, military corruption, economic meltdown, and the failure of its diplomatic outreach, among other factors,” he said.
“After carrying out the barbaric Pahalgam attack, Pakistan did not take into consideration that India today is not the India of yesterday. It is a new India, the world’s fourth-largest economy, a military power, the largest democracy in the world, with strong political will. Pakistan did not factor in the rise of India in its calculus of terror,” he added.
He emphasized that if Pakistan attempts anything similar again, “Operation Sindoor 2.0 will hit them even harder, not only militarily, but also economically, politically, and diplomatically.”
Lt. Gen. Dhillon, who commanded the Chinar Corps responsible for military operations along the Line of Control and within the Kashmir Valley during the Pulwama terror attack, the Balakot airstrikes, and the abrogation of Article 370, highlighted how Operation Sindoor set a new global benchmark and a new normal in the fight against terrorism.
He underscored the importance of air defense as the defining element of modern warfare, noting that emerging technologies have transformed the nature of conflict and require the continuous evolution of tactics and strategies across the entire spectrum of warfighting.
“Operation Sindoor 1.0 set new benchmarks in international military strategy and tactics. In earlier wars, borders were crossed, territory was captured, and prisoners of war were taken, which were the quantifiable parameters of victory. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, we liberated East Pakistan and took 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war. During Operation Sindoor, two nuclear powers came to war for the first time in history, if we exclude limited operations such as Kargil, and not a single soldier, tank, or gun crossed the Line of Control or the international boundary. This is the new face of future wars,” he said.
“Air defense emerged as the sword arm of warfighting and played the major role. It defeated Chinese radars, aircraft, missiles, and drones, in addition to F-16s and AWACS. These are the new benchmarks that have been set,” he added.
He said future warfare will not resemble conventional trench warfare or attrition-based conflicts of past decades.
“Tomorrow’s warfare will be dominated by air defense, electronic warfare, cyber warfare, and space. It will be non-contact warfare,” he said.
He added that wars will no longer be confined to the military domain.
“It will be fought in the economic domain and the domestic domain, disrupting airlines, railways, electricity, and banking grids. Destruction of onshore and offshore economic and military assets will be carried out through cyber, space, electronic, and kinetic domains, in stand-alone or overlapping operations. Future warfare will be swift, expensive, lethal, and decisive,” he said.
On the importance of narrative and perception management, he said, “Whether you won or lost a war will not be the only aspect. How it is perceived on social media and in the media will be a parallel battlefield, and India needs to gear up for this narrative warfare.”
He suggested the creation of a centralized, integrated information center for perception management based on truth and transparency.
Asked about the evolution of India’s counterterrorism doctrine over the past decade, Lt. Gen. Dhillon reiterated the principles outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May following Operation Sindoor.
“In our counterterrorism strategy, we will not differentiate between a terrorist, the organization he belongs to, and the country supporting it. All three are terrorists, and we will take necessary action as per our national interests,” he said.
He emphasized that Operation Sindoor demonstrated India’s willingness to confront terrorism directly and to hold accountable countries known as fountainheads of terrorism.
Highlighting the surgical precision of India’s counterterrorism operations, he said the world should draw lessons from India’s approach, which ensured minimal to zero collateral damage.
“Our counterterrorism operations are ethical and moral,” he said, adding that precision in the selection of weapon systems was another key lesson for the international community.
Former High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria described Operation Sindoor as the most intense India-Pakistan conflict of the 21st century.
He said the operation stood apart from India’s earlier responses to terrorism, showcasing the conventional power differential and India’s growing technological edge.
“Operation Sindoor was a full-spectrum, high-tech offensive and defensive mission. Not a single manned aircraft or soldier crossed the border. It used drones, loitering munitions, electronic warfare, and layered air defenses, all integrated through the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System. It was also a clear demonstration of indigenous capabilities, integrating technologies obtained from global partners,” Bisaria told ANI in an email interview.
“India made it clear that cross-border terrorism will now be treated as an act of war, not just a diplomatic or policing issue. By hitting targets deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, India showed it will not limit itself to diplomatic protests or symbolic actions. Terrorism will be met with force wherever it emanates from,” he said.
Bisaria noted that India’s military response reflected an evolving doctrine of integrated deterrence, adapted to the unique dynamics of the Indo-Pak relationship in a nuclear environment.
“Integrated deterrence rests on a multi-pronged approach of military readiness, diplomatic pre-emption, economic levers, and informational control. It goes beyond reactive defense and incorporates proactive signaling and layered coercion. Operation Sindoor demonstrated each element clearly,” he said.
He added that the operation sent a strong political message by publicly linking the Pahalgam terror attack to India’s military response, signaling a predictable doctrine under which terror attacks will have kinetic consequences.
“What began with ground and air strikes has now solidified into a doctrine of assured response to cross-border terror,” he said.
Bisaria described the shift as a clear departure from India’s earlier posture of strategic restraint.
“India has now graduated from surgical retaliation to doctrinal deterrence, assuring retaliation for every proven act of cross-border terror, each treated as an act of war. These are elements of a comprehensive doctrine aimed at deterring and shaping Pakistan’s behavior over time,” he said.
Tracing the evolution of India’s counterterrorism strategy, he noted that until 2008 India relied primarily on diplomacy and internal security tools. This approach proved insufficient, leading to direct action beginning with the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, culminating in the doctrine of assured kinetic response following the Pahalgam attack.
“India’s approach strikes a balance, strong enough to deter yet careful enough to avoid escalation. By targeting only terror infrastructure and avoiding civilian or unrelated military targets, India has set a strong example, particularly at a time when the world is witnessing prolonged conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine,” he said.
Bisaria, who also served as High Commissioner to Canada, said India’s shift from being a victim to a responder has drawn global attention, especially in a nuclear-armed region such as South Asia.
“India must do this exercise even better, particularly in global media, where Pakistan often moves swiftly with the first wave of misinformation,” he said.
The overall politico-military objective of Operation Sindoor was to punish Pakistan for waging a proxy war. India demonstrated its military capability, national resolve, and political acumen, while its military leadership displayed maturity and strategic wisdom. India continues to boost indigenous military capabilities, with defense exports expanding rapidly to Rs. 23,500 crore. (ANI)
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