India self-reliant during Operation Sindoor; Pak leveraged Chinese sources: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, who held an Academia engagement with think tanks from various nations on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore city, emphasised that India, today, is ahead of Pakistan on all platforms despite greater diversity. General Anil Chauhan said India was able to achieve it due to the country's long-term strategy.

During the conflict, India's aerial strikes penetrated deep into Pakistani territory and delivered pinpoint blows to critical enemy infrastructure such as radar systems, control units, and airbases, General Anil Chauhan said, ANI reported. “….you would have seen that most of the strikes were delivered with pinpoint accuracy, some even to a metre, to whatever was our selected mean point of impact,” Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by Reuters.

He said India went on “seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity...”

General Anil Chauhan also highlighted the use of indigenous platforms during Operation Sindoor, stating that India has developed its own air defence networking infrastructure without depending on foreign vendors. He said while India used indigenous system, “Pakistan likely leveraged Chinese sources”.

“Now, on the India-Pakistan relationship, we are not operating without a strategy. When we gained independence, Pakistan was ahead of us on every metric: social, economic, and GDP per capita. Today, India is ahead on all fronts: economic performance, human development, and social harmony, despite our greater diversity. That didn't happen by accident; it's a result of long-term strategy,” he said, ANI quoted.

“Diplomatically, we've reached out like in 2014 when the PM invited Nawaz Sharif. But it takes two hands to clap. If all we get in return is hostility, then disengagement may itself be a sound strategy for now,” CDS Chauhan said in an interview to Reuters.

Speaking of the how India used indigenous systems like Akash, Gen Chauhan said, “While Pakistan likely leveraged Chinese sources, there's no definitive proof of real-time targeting support. India, however, relied on its indigenous systems like Akash, which had notable success in system networking, integrating multiple platforms, including foreign radars, into a cohesive defence system.”

"As for space and satellite intelligence, access is commercially available to all. While we rely on our own satellite resources, Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese or Western commercial imagery. I can't confirm whether real-time targeting data was provided to them, but it's plausible they sought help from their allies," he added.

CDS highlighted important aspects of Operation Sindoor, including distributed force application, network-centric operations, cyber and disinformation campaigns and intelligence capabilities.

“On our end, we've not only used indigenous platforms like the Akash missile system effectively, but we've also built our own networking infrastructure for air defence without relying on foreign vendors. We've integrated radars from multiple sources into a cohesive network across India, and that was crucial.”

“On defence modernisation, we're moving toward self-reliance. While initially difficult, the process has started through programmes like Atmanirbhar Bharat. We can't rely 100 per cent on foreign elements, especially for networked warfare. We're now seeing the rise of startups, MSMEs and larger industries investing in defence. Our biggest strength? We produce the largest number of STEM graduates in the world, more than 20 IITs. Give them a defence problem and you'll have hundreds working on it. That's an untapped advantage we must channel with focus. I see modern warfare as a convergence of old and new methods, domains, timeframes and tactics. We're no longer fighting linear wars; we're operating across distributed networks, applying force in non-linear ways, where deception is becoming more important than surprise. Understanding this convergence is key to preparing for future conflicts,” ANI quoted him as saying.

Speaking of how wars have an impact on a nation's development, CDS Chauhan said, “From an economic standpoint, I've seen how costly prolonged mobilisations can be. India has remained mobilised for months without engaging in combat, and that imposes a huge financial burden. That's why we disengage swiftly once an operation concludes. We do not seek prolonged wars because they slow down our national development.”

(With Reuters, ANI inputs)