New Delhi

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday said that Operation Sindoor successfully disrupted Pakistan’s decision-making process and compelled it to step back, after a brief but precise 22-minute strike and subsequent calibrated military actions achieved India’s politico-military objectives.

Explaining the operation, General Dwivedi said the first decisive moment was the precision strike conducted within a narrow time window, which left terror networks and their backers struggling to comprehend and respond to the situation.

“The first turning point was the 22-minute strike on terror targets. Their decision-making cycle was completely disrupted, and it took them time to understand what was happening. This resulted in mismanagement, with them resorting to stone-pelting and missile launches. We responded in a calibrated manner because we did not want escalation, having already achieved our politico-military aim,” he said.

The Army Chief noted that Pakistan had full visibility of India’s military posture through satellite surveillance, and once the broader deployment picture became clear, the adversary opted to de-escalate.

Referring to a second turning point, General Dwivedi said that on the morning of May 10, clear instructions were issued to all three services on how India would respond if the conflict escalated. “When they connected the dots—regarding the movement of ships, aircraft, strike formations and core units—they realised it was time to stop,” he said.

General Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor also underlined the importance of narrative management, credibility and information discipline, stressing that communication is now as vital as operational preparedness.

“We learned that information must be credible, consistent and timely. There should be no vacuum in the narrative or cognitive domain, because any vacuum is quickly filled by negative or false information,” he said.

He added that strict information control was enforced, with all Indian Army social media handles facing the western front shut down to prevent confusion. The Additional Directorate General of Strategic Communication (ADG StratCom) was maintained as the single source of official information, which helped preserve credibility.

Providing an operational update, the Army Chief said 139 ceasefire violations were recorded in 2025, of which 124 occurred during Operation Sindoor. However, none qualified as major violations.

“As of today, forces are not being pulled back. Approximately 140 terrorists are still present in the hinterland, around 10 of whom may be local, while the rest are Pakistani terrorists,” he said.

On gender issues, General Dwivedi said the Army is moving towards gender neutrality rather than mere gender equality, emphasising that women should be viewed as capable and resilient, not vulnerable. He acknowledged challenges related to medical standards and societal factors but said progress would be reviewed over the next few years, with the possibility of opening additional arms, including special forces, in a phased manner.

Addressing the situation in Bangladesh, the Army Chief said India is closely monitoring developments while keeping communication channels fully open with Bangladesh’s military leadership. He stressed that India’s actions are not directed against Bangladesh and that regular dialogue is being maintained to avoid misunderstandings.

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“As of today, our actions are not aimed at Bangladesh in any way. Capability development is an ongoing process for all countries. We are closely watching the situation and remain prepared,” he said.