Sindoor and the Silence We Needed

A look at India’s quick retaliation, rising risks with China–Pakistan

On the night of May 6–7, 2025, India launched airstrikes on nine targets across the Line of Control. The mission was called Operation Sindoor. It was a quick and intense response to the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam that had happened just two weeks earlier. In that attack, terrorists entered the meadow in Pahalgam and killed tourists after asking about their religion. The nation was shocked and angry. The pain was fresh. But was a war-like response the best answer?

Pahalgam Meadow Where Tragedy Struck 

Pravin Sawhney, a former Army officer and defence analyst, explained Operation Sindoor in great detail. Watch his video towards the bottom of this article. According to him, Sindoor wasn't exactly a war. It was a "crisis" – something just below a hot war. But what makes it worrying is how easily the line between peace and war is now being crossed. And it’s happening more often.

The Pre-War Shift

Sawhney explains the idea of a "pre-war stage." This is the phase when armies start mobilising. Pakistan, due to its geography, can send its troops and launch its offensive forces within 48 to 72 hours. India takes longer, especially to move its strike forces from central parts of the country.

Back in 2001–2002, during Operation Parakram, India took two weeks to fully mobilise. Now that time has reduced, but it still isn’t as quick as Pakistan. So, if there’s a sudden act of terror and India decides to respond with military action, Pakistan has a time edge.

Lowering the War Threshold

In 2019, India used its Air Force for the first time in a crisis when it carried out the Balakot strikes. That was a shift. The IAF had never been used in that way against Pakistan. It became the new normal.

Then came Sindoor. This time, both drones and missiles were freely used – not just in Jammu, but along the full border. That’s a second shift. Now, both countries might feel free to use drones and missiles even during a tense situation, not just full-scale war.

The Prime Minister even said that “any act of terror will now be treated as an act of war.” But what does that mean for the Indian Army? That it must be ready for war every time there’s a terror attack?

Sawhney’s warning is simple – we’re moving into a dangerous zone where peace and war are no longer clearly separated.

A Hidden Player: China

There’s more. Pravin Sawhney also talks about the idea of Multi-Domain Warfare – where war isn’t just about land, air, or sea. It includes space, cyber, and electronic attacks. This concept didn’t just come out of thin air. It’s been shaped over time by joint China–Pakistan military drills, especially the long-running Shaheen exercises. What started as basic air force collaboration has now grown into a larger, coordinated plan for modern warfare.

File Photo: Air Forces of China & Pakistan

Pakistan and China now train together in these multi-domain operations. They call it PAF–PLA Multi-Domain Coordination. So when India hits Pakistan, it’s not a solo game. China is watching, and possibly helping behind the scenes.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 80% of Pakistan’s weapons now come from China. In the recent conflict, Pakistan used Chinese jets to strike Indian targets. There are even claims – not officially denied – that one Indian Rafale jet may have been brought down.

China’s growing defence tech has made this more complex. Their J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets are becoming backbone assets for Pakistan. China’s PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles give them a major edge. Their BeiDou satellite constellation of 44 satellites supports precise navigation, surveillance, and targeting for PLA–PAF joint AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) platforms. Add to that their edge in electronic jamming, cyber tools, and signal intelligence – and you see a new kind of battlefield taking shape.

Adding to the complexity, Pakistan’s Air Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed cleverly fed false information to international media. This was part of an information war – mixing facts, fiction, and noise to confuse and shape global opinion. Sawhney warns that information itself is now a weapon, and India must catch up fast.

In contrast, Indian authorities chose not to confirm or deny key details and responded with the generic statement: “losses are a part of combat.” This silence, while perhaps intended to avoid escalation, gave Pakistan the upper hand in the international narrative. It added weight to their version of events, especially in foreign media.

China and Pakistan are getting closer. We cannot afford to ignore this.

The Human Cost

A Survivor Beside 
Her Slain Husband

Operation Sindoor may have killed around 100 terrorists, including big names from Lashkar and Jaish. But did it stop terror? Not likely. After the 2016 surgical strikes, there was Pulwama. After Balakot, there was Pahalgam. Quick airstrikes don’t erase deep-rooted terror networks.

The sad truth is that 26 people died in Pahalgam, and 26 more died after Sindoor - 21 civilians and 5 army personnel. Most of them lived in border villages. No plan was made to move them to safer places. No warnings were given. For them, war was not news - it came to their doorsteps.

Money Matters

Wars are expensive. A Rafale fighter jet uses 2,900 litres of fuel per hour in normal mode and over 9,000 litres in combat. Each missile costs at least ₹20 lakh. India was the second-largest arms importer last year, after Ukraine.

Can two nuclear nations afford this kind of spending over terror attacks? The economic cost is huge. And it adds up every time national emotions push us into action.

Diplomacy Undermined

During the Sindoor crisis, the U.S. claimed it brokered the ceasefire. Donald Trump even offered to mediate on Kashmir – an embarrassment for India, which has always insisted on bilateral talks. Behind the scenes, Indian and Pakistani officials were already in communication. But public statements and bravado threatened to undo that effort.

Modi later said, “Terror and trade talks cannot happen together.” But Trump said the U.S. would only do business with India and Pakistan if the fighting stopped. That’s how foreign powers used the situation for their own gains.

What Did Sindoor Achieve?

Maybe it gave people a sense of closure. Maybe it sent a message. But did it stop terrorism? Did it prevent future attacks? So far, the answer is no.

As some experts have said, fighting terror needs quiet, consistent effort – not emotional

Armed Forces Brief Media

decisions and shows of strength. Bravery is good, but wisdom is better.

What larger objective did Operation Sindoor serve? If anything, it has shown that a few men with guns can drag a country of a billion into a war posture.

Despite all these threats and downs, the Indian Armed Forces' integrity in upholding democracy since India's partition in 1947 is truly commendable. Unlike in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other neighbouring countries where military coups have taken political powers, the Indian Armed Forces have never shown interest in grabbing power – rather, they have always stood as the defenders of democracy. That in itself is a remarkable strength.

Sometimes, silence and restraint are stronger than sound and fury.

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Acknowledgement: This article draws from the insights of defence expert Pravin Sawhney. Watch his full video on Operation Sindoor here

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