IT IS time the people of India started thinking deeper about how their national political and military leadership thought and acted in the recent conflict with Pakistan -- peaked by “Operation Sindoor”. The clue to the deeper thinking should be derived from some of the recent statements and assertions by Chief of Defence Services (CDS) General Anil Chauhan -- at Singapore and later at Pune. Unfortunately, most people who read or heard General Chauhan’s statement at the Shangri La Dialogue tended to think that he had admitted that Pakistan had succeeded in downing a few of India’s fighter jets. Factually, he had debunked the Pakistani claims to that effect and had talked of how India had taken a few aircraft off air and sent those back into service after necessary rectifications. Despite this, many observers -- whose tendency is to think only superficially -- thought that the CDS had accepted the Pakistani claims about downed Indian fighter jets during “Operation Sindoor”.

 

In response to this shallow approach, General Chauhan later came out clearly denying that he had ever accepted the Pakistani claims (that were false). It is against this background that the people of India need to think more deeply about strategic matters without giving into the temptation of arriving at cheap conclusions. If we can learn this lesson from “Operation Sindoor”, we will serve a great national cause. A deeper and finer analysis of various statements and assertions of India’s political and military spokespersons in the past few weeks reveals the careful manner in which India told the truth to the world -- inch by inch, blow by blow, hour by hour, day by day, event by event. No matter what others -- including the United States President Mr. Donald Trump -- said on issues, Indian spokespersons -- from Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, to Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, to Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah, to Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, to Foreign Secretary Mr. Misri, to the officers, and leaders of the Armed Forces never departed from the national line of thought. None of the Indian spokespersons ever insulted US President Mr. Donald Trump by debunking his claims, but never gave him weightage for his impertinent statements.

 

Nothing could distract Indian line of thought and assertion during “Operation Sindoor” and afterwards. This steadfastness, this firmness of policy on part of India needs to be pondered over people and the media and lobbyists who are all eager to distort things with whatever motive in mind. The most critical message that emerges from Indian thought and action following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent “Operation Sindoor” is that a responsible nation and its responsible Government acts with a very deep and focused thought to keep perfectly in tune with ultimate national interest. India never accepted that Pakistan ever downed any of its fighters jets. It insisted right from start that each of its pilots were safe back home. And it also made clear that during those tense days of “Operation Sindoor”, many tactical decisions were taken and rectifications implemented so as to keep the operations on right track.

 

There were certain setbacks too, as has been admitted by General Anil Chauhan, but he insisted upon the importance of the final outcome -- which professional militaries pay attention to. Such assertions are too fine for superficial interpretations. They are made with a specific and deep purpose in mind, but are never intended to mislead anybody. Those who operate in the rarefied zone of strategy understand the fine nuances of the statements in tricky conditions and do not jump to conclusions -- as many tended to do after General Chauhan’s statements in Singapore and Pune. At this critical juncture in its strategic journey, Indian people should understand this.