'The precision strikes were well planned and excellently executed. The world will be studying this operation.'
"You can't take a soldier out of war.
"Technology is a force multiplier. It is an aid, not a substitute. In the end, you will need the soldier to carry your flag and put it where you want it," asserts Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia, PVSM, AVSM, SM (retd), former director general of military operations.
An officer from the Parachute Regiment, India's special forces, the general served the Indian Army for four decades and held command assignments on both the Pakistan and China borders.
In an interview with Rediff's Archana Masih, General Bhatia discusses why Operation Sindoor will be a case study for military commanders and what our future wars will be like.
The concluding segment of a two-part interview:
What have been the achievements and lessons of Operation Sindoor?
We took out Pakistan's air defence umbrella and indicated that we can strike Pakistan as and when we want.
This is what forced the cessation of hostilities.
This was not a war. The Defence of India Act [which comes into force during war] was not applied.
The operation achieved the political and military stated objective which was to punish Pakistan in all domains -- military, diplomatic, economic -- even in the information domain which adds to public opinion and psychological warfare.
Having been a student of military wars, I feel we are all proud of what the armed forces have done.
The precision strikes were well planned and excellently executed. The whole world was looking at it and will be reading about this operation for a long time.
They will study what we did and how we did it.
Operation Sindoor was a classic operation. A dream operation.
The Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars are still ongoing, but we have ended it in a sharp and quick operation.
The world military is definitely studying this operation already.
What is the future of war? Are we moving to a war where troops will have a lesser role to play, at least against Pakistan, may not be so on the Chinese frontier?
Will hostilities with Pakistan be dealt with shooting weapons from inside our border?
What shape future military conflicts will acquire is unpredictable, but we have to prepare for future wars.
Technology plays an important role, but you can't take a soldier out of war.
Technology is a force multiplier. It is an aid. It is not a substitute. In the end, you will need someone to carry the flag and put it where you want on the ground.
We have porous borders which require land warfare. We will need the soldier, the sailor, the air warrior.
Look at the Russia-Ukraine war and you can see that the soldier is still central to warfare.
Unfortunately, everyone thinks the armed forces are meant to fight wars, but the armed forces are meant to ensure peace.
Fighting a war is the last stage. Wars are fought when everything fails. The armed forces are meant to secure the nation so that there is peace, stability and economic development.
A secure nation is central to the wellbeing of our people.
Being prepared for war to ensure peace,
A tragic number of civilians were killed in attacks on the border, especially in Poonch and Rajouri.
Are there no protocols for safety of citizens in border areas in times of heightened escalation?
There are villages as close as 50 metres to the LoC.
Normally civilian are not targeted in firing along the Line of Control. That is the norm. There is an understanding to not target civilian villages.
This time in desperation Pakistan has carried out these attacks, especially in Poonch.
They even targeted a famous gurdwara in an attempt to create a religious divide.
The Pakistan establishment repeatedly distances itself from terrorists to avoid being put on the grey list in the Financial Action Task Force.
We caught Ajmal Kasab which provided hard evidence to the world.
How does not capturing terrorists hurt our war against terror?
The world is not blind. The world knows Pakistan is the epi-centre of terrorism. If you look at terror attacks anywhere in the world, about 90% have a direct or indirect Pakistan connect.
Osama bin Laden was living in Pakistan!
The terrorist groups in Pakistan are internationally listed terror organisations. There is no doubt about that. Pak-based terror camps are providing training, weapons, direction and pushing terrorists into India.
We will shape world opinion. It does not mean that every time we have to give evidence and have a joint sort of investigation.
We have gone beyond that stage.
What, according to you, was General Munir's gambit behind Pahalgam? Was it to destroy the narrative of peace in Kashmir and to once again internationalise Kashmir?
1. To test our resolve.
2. Peace and normalcy in Kashmir is unacceptable to them.
Tourists are coming in large numbers and robust economic development is taking place. Stone pelting has stopped and army convoys are no longer stopped by the public.
Schools are not closing down anymore and Kashmiris are actually witnessing the peace dividend.
This is not acceptable to Pakistan. They need Kashmir to simmer. They need to have Kashmir centre-stage in the international arena.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com