India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a retaliatory strike against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the operation marked a decisive demonstration of military capability but was intentionally executed within calibrated and restrained limits.
Rajnath Singh, speaking in Leh, said the armed forces were capable of inflicting far more damage but chose to act only against terror-linked targets. He emphasised that the operation was designed with precision and discipline, noting that nine major launch pads were destroyed and more than 100 terrorists were eliminated, while civilian and military installations inside Pakistan were deliberately avoided.
Singh also revealed that 11 military locations supporting Pakistan’s terror network were struck, which triggered a four-day confrontation before Islamabad sought a ceasefire on May 10. He described the strikes as a message of deterrence, stating that Operation Sindoor displayed only a small fraction of India’s overall combat strength.
He highlighted that the scale and speed of the offensive were possible due to significantly improved border connectivity, logistics efficiency, and new infrastructure delivered by the Border Roads Organisation. The Defence Minister inaugurated 125 BRO projects across Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and multiple northern and northeastern states, calling them fundamental to both national security and the economic development of remote regions.
Singh praised the performance of the BrahMos missile system during the operation, calling it crucial for India’s security strategy. He connected the military success to India’s rapidly expanding defence manufacturing sector, noting that production had risen from ₹46,000 crore in 2014 to ₹1.51 lakh crore, while defence exports had increased from under ₹1,000 crore to nearly ₹24,000 crore over the same period.
Rajnath Singh positioned Operation Sindoor in continuity with previous Indian military responses—the 2016 surgical strikes, the 2019 Balakot airstrike, and now 2025’s Operation Sindoor—stating that each reflects India’s uncompromising stance on protecting national dignity and territorial integrity.
