New Delhi: India was fully prepared to launch ground operations against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi revealed on Tuesday, issuing a stern warning that any future provocation by Islamabad will be met with a decisive response.
Addressing his first press conference of 2026, General Dwivedi said the operation, launched in May last year, remains active and continues to serve as a deterrent against cross-border terrorism. He stressed that the Indian Army had mobilised extensively and expanded conventional military space, leaving Pakistan with no room for miscalculation.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, carried out by The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The operation targeted multiple terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, resulting in the elimination of over 100 terrorists, according to the Army.
General Dwivedi said Pakistan’s subsequent missile and drone attacks were successfully neutralised by India, following which Indian forces carried out precision strikes on Pakistani airfields. He described the operation as a landmark example of tri-service coordination, executed under clear political direction and complete operational freedom.
“Operation Sindoor reset long-standing strategic assumptions,” the Army chief said, explaining that the initial phase of the mission unfolded within 22 minutes, while the broader military orchestration continued for 88 hours, concluding on May 10. He added that India demonstrated its willingness and capability to strike deep while neutralising Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence narrative.
Referring to the operational posture during those 88 hours, General Dwivedi said the Army was fully positioned for escalation if required. “Our mobilisation was such that if Pakistan had made any mistake, ground operations would have followed immediately,” he said.
Providing an update on the security situation, the Army chief noted that while conditions along the western front and in Jammu and Kashmir remain sensitive, they are firmly under control. He said 31 terrorists were neutralised in 2025, with nearly 65 per cent of them being Pakistani nationals, including the three attackers involved in the Pahalgam strike, who were eliminated under Operation Mahadev.
General Dwivedi added that local terrorist strength in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped to single digits, and recruitment has nearly collapsed, with only two new recruits reported in 2025. He pointed to broader indicators of stability, including infrastructure development, a revival in tourism, and the peaceful conduct of the Sri Amarnath Yatra, which attracted more than four lakh pilgrims, surpassing the five-year average.
“The shift from terrorism to tourism is becoming increasingly visible,” he said, underlining the Army’s continued focus on maintaining pressure on terror networks while supporting long-term normalcy in the region.
