Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday gave a detailed account of India’s military operations during the high-stakes confrontation with Pakistan, launched under Operation Sindoor on May 7, saying Indian armed forces penetrated 300 kilometres inside the nation.
‘No nuclear escalation in sight’
CDS Anil Chauhan dismissed suggestions that India and Pakistan came close to a nuclear confrontation
The General was speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore when he said, “I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold.”
He further detailed that communication channels between India and Pakistan “were always open” during the hostilities and said that both sides have more options below the nuclear level to resolve disputes.
When asked about US President Donald Trump’s past claim that he helped prevent a nuclear war, Gen Chauhan responded that it was “far-fetched” to believe either India or Pakistan was close to using nuclear weapons.
‘Fighter jets downed’
CDS Anil Chauhan confirmed that Indian Air Force (IAF) jets were shot down during the early phase of the confrontation that started on May 7.
He also responded to Pakistan’s claim of having downed six Indian jets, calling it “absolutely incorrect.”
“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being downed. What mistakes were made — those are important. Numbers are not important,” he said.
He explained that India quickly learned from its mistakes. “The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it.”
“We rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, and carried out precision strikes.”
‘Penetrated 300 km deep inside Pakistan territory’
On military operations during the conflict, Chauhan said India relied on both indigenous weapons and foreign platforms. He highlighted the ability of Indian forces to strike targets deep inside Pakistani territory.
“We were able to penetrate air defence as long as 300 km with pinpoint accuracy and targets, airfields and infrastructure, deep inside Pakistan. That indicates the functionality of the equipment,” he said, according to PTI.
According to him, the current ceasefire is holding, but its future depends on Pakistan’s actions. “We have laid clear red lines,” he stated.
India’s Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was launched by India in the early hours of May 7 as a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians.
The operation targeted nine terror infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to reports, the strikes resulted in the death of over 100 terrorists, with the most significant damage occurring in Bahawalpur, a known terror hub in Pakistan.
