National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has revealed fresh details about the decision-making and resolve behind Operation Sindoor, asserting that India’s tolerance and generosity should never be mistaken for weakness.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reaction to the cold-blooded Pahalgam Terror Attack of 22 April, 2025. Prime Minister cut short his state visit to Saudi Arabia.
“The Prime Minister returned. The Foreign Secretary had come to receive him. Then, at the airport itself, we had a meeting. First, he wanted to know all the facts. And then his first question to me was, ‘Who has done it? Who is responsible? We should be very clear who the perpetrators are. I want it immediately,” recalled NSA Doval.
In his first interview since the military operation conducted in May 2025, Doval spoke about the high-stakes decisions behind Operation Sindoor in the documentary ‘Declassified: Operation Sindoor ‘, which chronicles the 88-hour military conflict that followed the Pahalgam terror attack.
The remarks offer an insight into the Prime Minister’s approach in the immediate aftermath of the attack and the urgency with which the government sought to establish responsibility.
‘Objective was to destroy enemy camps’
Doval said India had clearly defined the objective of Operation Sindoor before launching the military action.
“We had decided the objective of the operation as destruction of the enemy camps, particularly those who had been responsible for the Pahalgam attack,” he said.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. Indian forces carried out precision strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The military action was followed by Pakistan’s response, including drone attacks, resulting in an intense period of hostilities between the two countries. The operation was temporarily halted on May 10, after the two sides reached an understanding.
‘India can hit hard, irrespective of consequences’
Doval underlined that India’s restraint should not be interpreted as an inability or unwillingness to act.
“The message to the world is very clear, India’s generosity or India being tolerant should not be mistaken for its weakness. India can take risks, India can hit hard, irrespective of the consequences,” he said.
He also said the operation was intended to send a clear message to Pakistan’s military over its alleged support for terrorism.
“We wanted the Pakistan Army to realise that this support to terrorism or inability to take effective action against the terrorists is something which is not tolerable to us,” Doval said.
‘We fight till the last drop of blood’
Doval further stressed that India was prepared to go as far as necessary to protect its sovereignty.
“Once anything starts, we are willing to go as far as it is necessary for a nation to preserve its sovereignty, and there is no limits on that. We fight till the last drop of the blood,” he said.
His remarks underline the resolve behind the military response and the government’s stated position that India would not remain passive in the face of terror attacks.
Doval’s first interview since ‘Operation Sindoor’
Doval’s detailed account of the operation is part of Declassified: Operation Sindoor, which examines the events surrounding the military conflict and the decisions taken during the operation.
The NSA’s remarks will come into the public domain on Saturday, August 15, coinciding with India’s 80th Independence Day.
The interview provides a rare account of the decision-making process behind Operation Sindoor, including the role of the political leadership and the security establishment in responding to the Pahalgam attack.
President Murmu also highlights ‘Operation Sindoor’
Doval’s remarks come a day after President Droupadi Murmu referred to Operation Sindoor and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in her Independence Day eve address.
Recalling the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, President Murmu paid tribute to the armed forces and highlighted the precision with which the operation was carried out.
“During the commemoration of one year since the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, we remembered the unmatched valour of our armed forces,” she said.
She added that the operation demonstrated the capabilities of the Indian armed forces and sent a clear message to terrorists and those supporting them that they would face consequences for their actions.
