The Post Mortem

Air Cmde TK Chatterjee (retd)

Recently, a very civilian friend sent me a link to a podcast called ‘Dil Se’ by Kapil Sibal. It featured two well-known strategists and national security experts discussing the results of Operation Sindoor. My friend asked for my opinion on the podcast because the message from the two strategists was completely opposite to what I had presented to the Indian community during a talk here in Paris, France.

I watched the podcast with great interest. The episode started with Operation Sindoor but covered a wide range of geopolitical issues in the subcontinent. However, I will focus my comments only on the messaging about the operation. It was suggested that the national outrage against the Pahalgam attack was not spontaneous but manipulated by the government, and that everything about the operation was a stark failure, except for the political goal of appealing to the ruling government’s vote bank through military action that achieved nothing. Pakistan’s geopolitical profile improved because it fought India on equal terms, while India’s military weaknesses were exposed globally. The unnecessary operation also lowered the threshold for war between India and Pakistan. Ultimately, the solution offered to break the cycle of conflict between the two nations and bring peace to the subcontinent is dialogue.

Why is the assessment so different from many reputed international media? Here are some examples:

“The strikes by the Indian Air Force against targets in Pakistan offer a powerful lesson in restraint, and Operation Sindoor adds a new approach to India's strategic toolbox”-- from Royal United Service Institute.

“Strategically, Operation Sindoor shifted the deterrence doctrine in South Asia, demonstrating India’s ability to strike deep inside hostile territory with minimal warning. It also highlighted the Indian armed forces’ seamless coordination and operational readiness, reinforcing India’s emergence as a no-nonsense, self-reliant power” -- from Insight UK.

“Operation Sindoor was a strategic success and a decisive Indian victory, says US strategic expert” -- Headline in CNBC.

“Striking so many military facilities in Pakistan proper at one time reflects a deliberate shift in treating terrorist attacks as grounds for conventional military reprisals” -- said Washington Post.

Even the main opposition Indian National Congress had a more balanced remark-–“Operation Sindoor, India’s military response on 7 May 2025 to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, marked a significant turning point in the regional security landscape.”

Barring the Pakistani press and this particular podcast, I didn’t come across any report in the international media claiming that Pakistan had the upper hand anytime before, during, or after the four-day conflict, or that it benefited as a nation anyway due to Operation Sindoor. 

Any interested reader can access the podcast and see for themselves what the panellists said. Let me emphasise what they chose not to say about Operation Sindoor.

Political messaging. The Prime Minister told the nation that Pahalgam would be avenged. The people respon