Less than 50 weapons brought Pakistan to ceasefire table: IAF
What's the story
Three months after India's major strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Vice Chief of Air Staff has revealed new details about "Operation Sindoor." The operation was launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people. Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit, said less than 50 weapons were used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to bring Pakistan to the ceasefire table.
Operation overview
Operation Sindoor narrowed down to 9 targets
Air Marshal Tiwari said the IAF had a large number of target sets to choose from, but eventually narrowed it down to nine. "Key takeaway for us, that in less than 50 weapons, we were able to achieve conflict elimination," he said. He stressed that while starting a war is easy, ending it is not. The operation's success was attributed to India's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which enabled both offensive and defensive operations.
Strategic response
Ceasefire agreement after 4 days of missile strikes
Air Marshal Tiwari said New Delhi's directives were threefold: punitive action had to be "visual and visible," messaging had to deter future attacks, and the armed forces were given full operational freedom. After four days of missile strikes, drone incursions, and artillery battles across the Line of Control (LoC), India and Pakistan agreed to cease all military actions on land, air, and sea from May 10 evening.
Ceasefire violations
Pakistani drones intercepted after ceasefire agreement
However, hours after the ceasefire agreement, Pakistani drones were spotted and intercepted in Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Gujarat. India accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stressing that India takes these violations with "very, very serious notice." On the dawn of May 10, IAF aircraft launched BrahMos-A cruise missiles at key Pakistan Air Force bases. The first confirmed impacts were at Chaklala near Rawalpindi and Sargodha in Punjab province.