Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, Director General of Army Air Defence, on Monday highlighted the country's military capabilities and stated that India possesses the arsenal capability of striking targets across the full depth of Pakistan in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.
In an interview with ANI, Lt Gen D'Cunha said, "The whole of Pakistan is within range."
He stated that even if they relocate the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ) from Rawalpindi to regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), they will have to "find a deep hole."
India's offensive strikes during Operation Sindoor targeted key Pakistani airbases with precision, utilising loitering munitions to destroy high-value targets.
Lt Gen D'Cunha said, "I just like to say that India has an adequate arsenal of weapons to take on Pakistan right across its depth. So, from its broadest to its narrowest, wherever it is, the whole of Pakistan is within range. We are absolutely capable, from our borders or even in depth, where we can take on the entire Pakistan. And the GHQ can move from Rawalpindi to KPK or wherever they want to move, but they are all within range, so they will have to really find a deep hole."
Modern indigenous technology, including long-range drones and guided munitions, played a crucial role in the operation's success.
Lt Gen D'Cunha further underscored that the armed forces' primary duty is protecting the nation's sovereignty and its people.
"Our job is to protect our sovereignty, our people. So, I think that the very fact that we have been able to protect our motherland from this onslaught, which was aimed at causing a lot of problems in population centers and in our cantonments, the very fact that we have given this reassurance to our people, not only to our civil population... a lot of our own jawans, officers, wives were staying in cantonments. And they were also equally concerned about these drone attacks. And the very fact that we ensured that this did not manifest in any casualties, I am sure it not only made the soldier feel proud, it made the families feel proud. And finally, the population of India feel proud. I think that's the takeaway," he said.
Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha revealed that during the Op Sindoor the Golden Temple management allowed the Indian Army to deploy air defence guns within the shrine to counter potential drone and missile threats from Pakistan.
Lt General D'Cunha informed that the Golden Temple's lights were switched off for the first time in history to facilitate better detection and engagement of enemy drones, which helped the Indian defence forces spot and engage enemy drones more clearly.
"Fortunately, we visualised what they (Pakistan) were capable of doing. Realising that they would target it because they had no legitimate targets across the border. They were more interested in creating confusion, chaos internally, and hence, we visualised that they would target our civil population and our religious places of worship," D'Cunha said.
The successful neutralisation of drones at the Golden Temple demonstrates India's growing capabilities in countering emerging threats and protecting sensitive locations.
"It was very nice that the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple allowed us to deploy our guns. It is possibly for the first time in many years that they switched off the Golden Temple lights so that we could see the drone coming," Lt General D'Cunha added.
The Director General of Army Air Defence also highlighted India's preparedness in modern warfare, particularly in neutralising drones and other advanced technologies during Operation Sindoor.
Speaking about the internal training by the Indian side, Lt Gen D'Cunha said, "I think that the training that we did, actually we anticipated this and you won't believe that about maybe on the 26th, 27th and 28th, we did a simulation exercise at the behest of our army chief in the border areas, where we simulated drone attacks on the weapon system. It was not from the border, but it was internal, on the border... We started at 5:30 in the morning, maybe on the 26th for the first day, when multiple drones were coming in to train our people..."
India's Operation Sindoor showcased its preparedness in modern warfare, particularly in neutralising drones and other advanced technologies.
The operation highlighted India's integrated command structures, enabling seamless coordination between different military branches.
Operation Sindoor reflected India's "Shishupala Doctrine," which involves exercising patience until a predefined threshold of provocation is crossed, followed by decisive action.
The operation shifted from reactive defence to proactive security doctrine, showcasing India's willingness to take bold action against terrorism.
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