Army chief says ‘war’ with Pak didn’t end with May 10 truce after Op Sindoor: ‘It continued…’

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday noted that the military conflict with Pakistan that erupted after India’s Operation Sindoor did not end with the cessation of hostilities on May 10.

General Dwivedi lauded the Indian Army for a calibrated response during Operation Sindoor after Pakistan targeted Indian Army bases with missiles and drones.

Addressing the book launch of ‘Operation Sindoor: Before and Beyond’, COAS General Dwivedi said that the “war” against Pakistan continued after the ceasefire, as there were decisions to be made.

“You may be thinking the war finished on May 10. No. It continued for a long time because so many decisions had to be made. It will be difficult for me to share beyond that,” General Dwivedi was quoted by news agency as saying.

General Upendra Dwivedi noted that the defence officials discussed the definition of a calibrated response. He said that he also spoke with the veterans, who presented several options for responding to the Pahalgam attack.

“So, when to start, when to stop, how much to apply in terms of time, space, and resources, and what is the definition of calibrated, all these things are something which we kept on discussing at every point in time. Because this time, there were no precedents. Though I spoke to many veterans on 22nd and 23rd April… Many of them presented so many brilliant options… Every action, every deliberate non-action, had long-term implications,” he said.

Hailing the Indian Army, he said that Operation Sindoor moved like a “rhythmic wave”.

“The Indian Army during this complete thing moved like a rhythmic wave… In these 88 hours, you did not have the time to come for the planning, then pass the orders. Everybody was synergised and knew their orders,” the COAS said.

Operation Sindoor and its aftermath
India had executed a calibrated response against terror targets during Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.

Pakistan responded by launching drone and missile strikes on targets in India, most of which were thwarted by the security forces. India hit Pakistani airbases and radar systems in response, and severe cross-border shelling was seen.

An understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced on May 10.