Fight was against terrorists, pity Pakistan chose to intervene: Indian Air Force
New Delhi: Top commanders of the Indian armed forces on Monday said that India’s recent military strikes were directed solely at terrorist networks and their infrastructure, but criticised Pakistan’s military for intervening in support of those elements. They affirmed that all Indian defence installations remain fully operational and that the forces are prepared for any further action if required.
Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, said India’s objective remained limited to targeting terrorists and their support systems. “We have also iterated that our fight was with terrorists and their support infrastructure,” he stated.
“However, it is a pity that the Pakistan military chose to intervene and bat for the terrorists, which compelled us to respond in kind.”
The remarks were made during a joint briefing on ‘Operation Sindoor’ alongside Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations, and Vice Admiral A N Pramod, Director General of Naval Operations.
Air Marshal Bharti noted that Indian military bases remained unaffected in operational terms. “In spite of some minor damage incurred, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational, and ready to undertake any further missions, should the need so arise,” he said.
The Indian Air Force highlighted its use of a broad spectrum of air defence mechanisms to counter threats during the operation. “India’s robust air defence system comprises a large variety of sensors and weapon systems — from point defence weapons like LLAD guns, shoulder-fired MANPADS, short-range SAMs, to longer-range SAMs,” Bharti said.
He also spoke about the role of technology and coordination. “The Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) brought together our entire air defence environment, giving us a net-centric operational capability,” he said. The IAF’s ability to counter multiple drone and UCAV waves was credited to indigenous soft and hard-kill counter-drone systems.
Highlighting weapon performance, Air Marshal Bharti said, “I would like to place on record the performance and efficacy demonstrated by even the older and battle-proven AD weapons like the Pechora, OSA-AK and the LLAD guns.” He also commended the indigenous Akash missile system for its role in the operations.
Vice Admiral Pramod addressed the Navy’s posture during the crisis. “The Indian Navy maintains a credible capability to detect, identify and neutralise any aerial platforms that threaten naval units at sea,” he said. According to him, the Navy’s carrier battle group, submarines and aviation assets were swiftly deployed with full combat readiness.
He added that India’s aircraft carrier, supported by MiG-29K fighters and early warning helicopters, ensured hostile aircraft remained at bay. “We had validated our anti-missile and anti-aircraft defence capability in a complex threat environment using a cross-platform cooperative mechanism,” Pramod noted.
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai confirmed that the three services acted in coordination throughout Operation Sindoor. India had launched the operation on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
Both India and Pakistan announced on Saturday that they had reached an understanding to cease all military actions across land, air, and sea from 5 pm the same day.
