'India's security challenges are no longer confined to the Line of Control or the Line of Actual Control.'
'They also span cyber networks, economic systems, information warfare, technology ecosystems, maritime routes, and internal social cohesion.'
Key Points
- 'China will always exploit Pakistan to keep India continuously boxed in South Asia.'
- 'The national interest of Pakistan and China is to destabilise India.'
- 'Just like Hamas and Hezbollah are proxies of Iran, similarly Pakistan is a proxy of China. Bangladesh and Myanmar are also headed in that direction, if they haven't already reached there.'
"One Operation Sindoor will not end terror. Terror will manifest in some other fashion somewhere else and we have to be vigilant all the time," says retired Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni.
The general commanded a brigade and a division on the Line of Actual Control and was decorated with the Shaurya Chakra for leading his platoon to unfurl the Tricolour in Bilafondla on the Siachen Glacier.
In an interview with Rediff's Archana Masih, General Kulkarni discusses the strategic and military impact of Operation Sindoor, the key lessons learnt from the operation and offers insights into the demands and evolving nature of modern conflicts.
A year on after Operation Sindoor, what do you think are some of our lasting lessons learnt going forward?
First and foremost, we must not be complacent.
Secondly, we must be alert, 24x7x365. We should use both technology and human intelligence to ensure that there are no sleeper cells, no transfer of funds towards acts of terror.
Surveillance systems, cyber monitoring, AI-driven analysis, financial tracking, and ground-level human inputs all have to complement one another.
We've already seen how educated, intelligent, doctors can also get involved in 'White Collar Terror' like in the Red Fort case.
Ordinary citizens also need a greater sense of awareness. They must be alert, informed, and responsible. In modern conflict, every citizen is a soldier now.
Like the Agni Veers in the defence services, we need a national service programme of young 'Agni Bans' comprising digitally capable citizens who can contribute in cyber defence, AI systems, infrastructure monitoring, and data analysis.
The future battlefield is not confined to borders anymore; it runs through servers, communication systems, airports, banks, stock exchanges, and power grids.
Even during Op Sindoor, there were 1.5 million cyber attacks on the National Stock Exchange.
Disruptions to electricity, communications, financial systems, or airlines can create chaos without conventional war.
Another lesson is that technology alone is not enough. India is investing in drones, AI, surveillance systems, missile defence, and advanced communication platforms which are extremely essential. But technology only works when used effectively.
Modern security requires not just equipment, but trained manpower, coordination, adaptability, and rapid decision-making.
Operation Sindoor also reinforced the importance of self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Conflicts around the world -- from Ukraine to Iran -- have shown that even technologically advanced militaries struggle when wars drag on and supply chains are stretched.
India's push toward atmanirbharta in ammunition production, air defence integration, and logistics resilience is a strategic necessity.
What are some of the geopolitical lessons, especially in terms of Pakistan's enduring policy of using terror as a state policy against India -- and the assistance provided by China to Pakistan during Op Sindoor?
The nuclear bluff of Pakistan has been called out.
China, Turkey, USA, Iran will help and assist Pakistan because of its geostrategic location. America certainly believes in dealing with one person in any country -- and that person in Pakistan is Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The Pakistan army chief's appointment bears the stamp of American approval and therefore America only likes to deal with the army chief in Pakistan.
China will always exploit Pakistan to keep India continuously boxed in South Asia. China does not want India to grow economically.
China also does not want to get into direct wars. Just like Hamas and Hezbollah are proxies of Iran, similarly Pakistan is a proxy of China. Bangladesh and Myanmar are also headed in that direction, if they haven't already reached there.
In fact, the Chinese influence is absolutely visible in Sri Lanka. There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent national interests.
The national interest of Pakistan and China is to destabilise India. Pakistan has always used terror as an instrument of State policy.
China believes in the supreme art of war, which is to subdue the enemy without a fight.
The larger takeaway is that India's security challenges are no longer confined to the Line of Control or the Line of Actual Control. They also span cyber networks, economic systems, information warfare, technology ecosystems, maritime routes, and internal social cohesion.
Therefore, you require boots on the ground, technology and communication and strike a balance between both, and have the ability to adapt.
One Operation Sindoor will not end terror. Terror will manifest in some other fashion somewhere else and we have to be vigilant all the time.
To what extent has Operation Sindoor created a deterrent against future attacks from Pakistan?
Yes, it has created deterrence, no doubt about that. But does that mean terror is off the radar and we can now relax? Absolutely not. Threats will manifest in different forms because the enemy adapts quickly.
The challenge today is that the adversary is smart, tech-savvy, and often operating with the same -- sometimes even better -- technology. That means we have to stay one or two steps ahead at all times, whether in cyber capability, surveillance, intelligence-sharing, or artificial intelligence.
Information is useful only if it moves fast. If a warning comes too late, it loses its value.
The real task is identifying credible threats from the thousands of inputs that agencies receive every day.
Technology alone is not enough either. You can install CCTV cameras everywhere, but if nobody is actively monitoring them, they become useful only after an incident has happened. The same applies to cyber monitoring and intelligence systems. We need trained people, focus, and systems that can quickly flag what really matters.
The larger lesson from Operation Sindoor is to stay alert, stay adaptable, and never become complacent. National security is everyone's responsibility.
Each one of us has to be a soldier, not necessarily in uniform, but that national security consciousness must be there with everybody. Terror is everybody's war.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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