EVEN as the nation remembered with heavy heart the killing of innocent civilian male tourists at Pahalgam exactly one year ago, the Indian Army, true to its spirit, gave out a terse message to whosoever it may concern that “boundaries of humanity” should never be crossed, and that there would be a “decisive response” if the violation took place again. As the people knew about this message from the Army, they remembered the precision strikes the Indian Armed Forces conducted on Pakistani targets as part of the phase one of “Operation Sindoor”. They also recalled that the Government had told the world that “Op Sindoor” was still on and the Indian Forces would strike the hardest if there was any violation of the country’s sovereignty and dignity. “Operation Sindoor” was an outstanding success of well--planned military operations. The Forces delivered the punch, achieved the desired results, and took a pause -- with a warning that “Op Sindoor” was still on.

 

The world understood the message from India -- though, of course, Pakistan refused to acknowledge that it had been beaten down by the Indian strikes beyond measure. Not just terror hideouts but also some of Pakistan’s military installations were hit in a pin-pointed manner, crippling that country’s critical ability to strike back. Through “Op Sindoor”, thus, India fought a war beyond its borders without crossing those, and without allowing any civilian target to be affected by Pakistani attack. The world watched simply amazed by Indian strikes’ precision and sense of focus and purpose of its military and political leaderships.

 

Though the country might have been taken by shock and surprise by the Pahalgam terror attack, India’s political, diplomatic and military responses stemmed from years of serious meditation and precise implementation of plans -- that seemed to have been drawn up years ago and kept polished with passing time, as if the military leaders visited the plans every 24 hours and kept them updated all the time ! “Operation Sindoor”, thus, was an outcome of ultra-modern technology being used by well-trained personnel as per a grand plan of the overall security apparatus the country has come up with over time. Of course, India’s military leadership is still deeply engaged in sprucing up its strategic thinking and tactical operational capabilities. True, India’s national leadership is not holding itself back while spending mind-boggling amounts of money to equip the security apparatus with the latest technologies as per the national defence requirement. This process has two dimensions, of course, one being acquisition of modern weapons for the military from whatever sources around the world; and the other being the indigenous design and manufacture military hardware in every possible domain.

 

The indigenous manufacture of defence merchandise has risen to levels that could not be imagined just a few years ago. So successful is this drive that India has begun earning precious foreign exchange by sale of defence merchandise to several countries around the world. But the issue that India’s collective leadership is giving importance to relates to its strategic maturation. Various concepts are being worked upon from the angle of implementation -- and either accepted or rejected. This activity is being conducted at a hectic pace with an innate sense of urgency so that the country does not lose precious time only at the drawing board. The military leadership is conducting some of those deliberations from public platforms where specialists air their views and give the common people an idea of how strategic thought proceeds. The people understand various implications against the background of the manner in which “Operation Sindoor” was conducted. All these exercises cumulatively promote what is described as strategic and security culture in the larger Indian society. There is a clear reason for common Indian people to feel proud of the developments on the strategic front. They now know for sure that they belong to a strong country.