‘Once the Pakistanis picked up the phone…’: Former CDS Anil Chauhan's 5 big revelations about Operation Sindoor

Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has revealed five key insights about Operation Sindoor, the Indian military operation against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in May 2024. Speaking at the Vivekananda Centre in New Delhi, Chauhan emphasized that the key principle of the operation was to ensure that India delivered the final strike in any escalation.

He stated, "One of the couple of principles which we thought in the escalation matrix which we laid for ourselves was that the last strike or the winning note will always be delivered by us and not by the Pakistanis."

During the operation, the Indian Air Force chief asked Chauhan if they should target Sargodha after Pakistan indicated a willingness to talk. Chauhan agreed, allowing the air force to identify two additional targets, one of which was Skardu. However, bad weather forced the operation to change targets to Bholari. Chauhan attributed India's victory to better situational awareness and battlefield transparency, enabled by the integration of data from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This comprehensive operational picture allowed commanders to make more informed decisions.

Chauhan also disputed former US President Donald Trump's claim that the US played a role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire, stating that the agreement was made directly between the two countries' directors general of military operations. He added, "The DGMO said he is not available till about 3 o clock... and then we decided at 5 o clock.

So the ceasefire was decided between two DGMOs, and that s it." Chauhan further revealed that Pakistan had an inaccurate view of Indian naval movements during the operation, citing examples where Pakistani briefings placed Indian carrier battle groups in incorrect locations. He noted, "Pakistan's understanding of the situation was quite poor, even in the maritime domain."