NEW DELHI — Retired Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, the former Director General of the Defence Intelligence Agency, shared new details on India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” emphasizing its strategic success for India.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Lt Gen Dhillon stated that on May 10, India launched precision strikes on 11 Pakistani airbases. He claimed that none of India’s missiles were intercepted by Pakistan’s air defense systems, and no Pakistan Air Force aircraft were able to counter the Indian projectiles. “That is victory,” he said.
Dhillon further asserted that a ceasefire was initiated only after the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan contacted his Indian counterpart at 3:35 p.m. on May 10, “literally begging for a ceasefire.” According to Dhillon, Pakistan also sought mediation from countries like America and Saudi Arabia, a move that he contrasted with India’s policy of refusing third-party mediation.
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to a terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, which killed at least 26 people. The operation involved precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and repelling Pakistani aggression by pounding its airbases.
In a scathing criticism of Pakistan’s military leadership, Lt Gen Dhillon claimed that Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, hid in a bunker during the operation. He also alleged that Munir’s promotion to the rank of field marshal on May 20, just 10 days after a cessation of hostilities was agreed upon, was a move to “avoid public scrutiny.” Munir is only the second person in Pakistan’s history to hold this rank, after former president Ayub Khan, and the first army chief of independent Pakistan to do so.
Lt Gen Dhillon also took a broader jab at the Pakistan Army, calling it “the only Army in the world which has never won a war,” and referencing the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in 1971. He concluded by asserting that the success of Operation Sindoor demonstrates a “new India” that is a military might and is not questioned by other nations for its actions.
India’s Operation Sindoor A Strategic Victory, Says Lt Gen KJS Dhillon
