Tag: Kashmir

In The News, My Take

Operation Sindoor: A Turning Point in India’s Military Strategy

As I write this, my mind goes to the powerful address to the nation made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday evening. I think he has been the greatest Prime Minister India has ever had. It was forceful, direct, and there was no beating about the bush. Operation Sindoor was a new highpoint in Indian military history. It was triggered by the cold blooded killing of 26 Indian men who were holidaying with their families in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22, 2025. About seven terrorists -most likely based in Pakistan- entered the beautiful meadows. They accosted innocent men, established that they were Hindus and shot them dead in cold blood, in front of their wives and children. Seldom has the world seen such targeted gruesome killings where innocents were murdered only and only based on their religion. This was reminiscent of the Second World War when Jews were shot dead in cold blood by the SS stormtroopers of the Nazis.

India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, 2025. In this swift operation, which lasted just 25 minutes, 9 terror camps and establishments used by Islamist terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Hizbul Mujhahideen were attacked with pin point precision. The terror establishments were hit hard. It is estimated that over 100 terrorists were killed in these raids. It was the first time that India had attacked terror camps so deep in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and indeed well within Pakistan itself. With this India had avenged the deaths of the innocents killed on April 22, 2025.

However, on May 8-9 , Pakistan escalated by sending in waves of drones to target Indian air stations and other military establishments. All these attacks were effectively thwarted by the Indian Air Defence System. Full credit should go to those who planned and executed this defensive network. It brought to mind Israel’s famed Iron Dome. This feat is all the more admirable as many of the components/subsystems used in this intricate defence system were indigenously developed and manufactured.

India then went on the offensive. India attacked carefully chosen airfields of the Pakistan Air Force such as Nur Khan near Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Rafiqi to name a few. Extensive damage was caused by the missiles fired by the Indian Air Force.

An uneasy calm came into effect on the evening of May 10, after the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called his Indian counterpart and asked for a cease fire.

The key take aways for me as a a keen student of military history are:-

  1. The shape of war as we knew it in the Indian subcontinent has changed for ever. No longer will India hesitate to attack Pakistan in their backyard. Past Governments had hesitated because Pakistan had nuclear weapons and always bragged about being ready to use them, unfettered by a No First Use policy.
  2. The use of electronic warfare, drones, etc etc have changed the contours of battle. We are unlikely to see hand to hand combat and , tank warfare on a scale that characterised past wars. The attack of airfields deep in Pakistan without Indian Air Force aircraft leaving Indian skies is a major pointer in this direction.
  3. The use of economic pressure like shelving the Indus Water Treaty and banning trade etc were aligned with the military objectives making a comprehensive unbeatable strategy.
  4. India’s resolve as enunciated by the Prime Minister of treating acts of terror as attacks upon India is a major change from the past. In earlier decades, sheltering under the story of ” Non State Actors” Pakistan used to harbour, train, and fund known terror groups. This was in line with their strategy of inflicting a thousand cuts on India. Going forward, these cuts will now come at a far heavier price than in the past.
  5. We witnessed the benefits of close co-ordination between the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force with the Ministry of External Affairs. We saw extensive briefings by the Foreign Secretary accompanied by representatives of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Later, we had media briefings by the DGMOs of the three Services. These went a long way in keeping people informed of the factual position. This helped immensely at a time when there was so much of misinformation especially on social media platforms.

The next few days and weeks will continue to be tense. More skirmishes could flare up. However, the families of the 26 innocent tourists who saw their menfolk hot in front of their eyes will have a sense of closure through Operation Sindoor.

Authors, Book Reviews

“Kitne Ghazi Aaye Kitne Ghazi Gaye”: Lt Gen. KJS Dhillon (Retd)

Of course, I had heard of General Dhillon, especially when he commanded the Indian Army’s 15 Corps in Kashmir. I was thrilled to hear that he had published his memoirs having heard so much about this illustrious soldier. I had the pleasure of reading, “Kitne Ghazi Aaye, Kitne Ghazi Gaye” recently. This book was published by Penguin Veer in January 2023. I know he has since written another book but we will come to that in due course of time.

As an avid reader of contemporary military history, I have read the biographies of many Generals/ Admirals/Air Chief Marshals from the days of World War 2. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are many about Indian military leaders. Yes, there have been books on Field Marshal Cariappa and General K S Thimayya but not on many others, as far as I know. It was refreshing therefore to read a more contemporary account of a General of great repute who retired from active service but recently.

In his well-written book which is full of interesting anecdotes, General Dhillon takes us back to his childhood in Punjab. From a young age, he and his friends wanted to be in the Indian Army. Not surprising considering that many of their family had served the paltan. The book takes us on General Dhillon’s journey from being a young cadet at the National Defence Academy to rising to the high position of Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency. In the course of 35 years in uniform, General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon had to deal with many challenges, some of which he has described in considerable detail in the book.

Perhaps because ours was, is and always probably will be a volunteer force, sadly most civilians in India have little or no idea of what life in the Indian Army entails. Conscription and compulsory military service in many countries give their citizens insights into life in the Services as many have served in them themselves. Apart from his own professional challenges, it was great to see General Dhillon write at length about the lives of the families of Army personnel. We cannot find adequate words to describe the role they play in helping our soldiers defend our borders. He writes about the challenges and hardships they frequently face and the courage with which they face these challenges.

The terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir have taken a toll since Independence. General Dhillon has served several tours of duty in this region since 1988 and writes authoritatively about his experiences here in different capacities over the decades.

As General Dhillon exhorted his troops, ” Wear your uniform with honour and pride, which is bestowed on only the select few, and ensure you make a difference in whatever you do in the service of the nation. Your nation, army, regiment and platen is the pride that you will live and die for.”

I would strongly recommend this book – with its arresting book cover picture- to every Indian. I follow General Dhillon on X.com and suggest you do the same. After all, each and every Indian can and should do all we can to defend our country against its enemies. Jai Hind!

Uncategorized

“Kashmir: A Tragedy of Errors” by Tavleen Singh

When I mentioned that I was reading her book, “Kashmir: A Tragedy of Errors” the noted writer Tavleen Singh regretted that the book had not been printed after that first edition way back in 2000. For most of India, and this is my educated guess, the image of Kashmir is that of a strife-filled state which has been at the heart of bitterness between India and Pakistan ever since Partition took place in 1947 and the British walked away leaving the two newly founded countries to figure out what to do with disputed territories on their own.

I found Tavleen’s book quite fascinating because as an experienced journalist she has the knack of getting straight to the point and though at times the book tends to become a bit repetitive, there is a lot of new insight on Kashmir to readers. I, for one, had not realized the importance of a few events described in this book, such as :

  1. When the Pakistani raiders first attacked the State of Kashmir, most of the Hindus fled and it was left to Sheikh Abdullah’s party to stem the tide till the Indian military forces stepped in.
  2. That Dr Farooq Abdullah was a fun-loving medical doctor settled happily in the UK till he was pulled back home by his ailing father Sheikh Abdullah to take over what was his legacy in difficult circumstances
  3. That the Central Governments in Delhi had a huge role to play in mis-governing the troubled State, bringing matters to a head through the act of vengeance by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in dismissing Farooq Abdullah’s Government in 1984 or the widespread rigging in the elections of 1987.

Events like these led up to the major problems that erupted in the Kashmir Valley in the late 1980’s. It is surprising that the then Government did not forsee how some of the actions they took, like the Farooq-Rajiv Gandhi Accord of 1986, were doomed to fail the way they were designed and implemented.

It was troubling to read in this book that the media too was terribly biased and wrote only what the powers that be wanted them to write. Most major journalists ( Tavleen was an exception) didn’t go to Kashmir at all but wrote up their reports sitting in the comfort of Delhi based on inputs sent in by local stringers, many of whom were biased or incompetent, Not surprisingly, the rest of India had to settle for what appeared in the media or what they conjectured could be the real situation in Kashmir.

An interesting book and I wonder if Tavleen will write a sequel now that we are in 2016, or are things in Kashmir still the same as they were in 2000, or earlier, or even going back to 1947? Highly recommended for history buffs and anyone with an interest in contemporary Indian politics.