‘Penetrated 300 km deep inside Pakistan’: What CDS revealed about Operation Sindoor

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday provided an extensive overview of India’s military actions amid the intense standoff with Pakistan, initiated under Operation Sindoor on May 7, stating that Indian forces advanced 300 kilometres into the territory. CDS Anil Chauhan rejected claims that India and Pakistan were on the verge of a nuclear conflict.

The General was speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore when he said, “I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold.”

He further detailed that communication channels between India and Pakistan “were always open” during the hostilities and said that both sides have more options below the nuclear level to resolve disputes.

In response to US President Donald Trump’s earlier assertion that he aided in averting a nuclear conflict, Gen Chauhan remarked that it was “far-fetched” to think either India or Pakistan was near using nuclear arms. In response to US President Donald Trump’s earlier assertion that he aided in averting a nuclear conflict, Gen Chauhan remarked that it was “far-fetched” to think either India or Pakistan was near using nuclear arms.

He also responded to Pakistan’s claim of having downed six Indian jets, calling it “absolutely incorrect.”

“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being downed. What mistakes were made — those are important. Numbers are not important,” he said.

He explained that India quickly learned from its mistakes. “The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it.”

“We rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, and carried out precision strikes.”

Regarding military operations amid the conflict, Chauhan stated that India depended on both domestic weapons and overseas platforms. He emphasized the capability of Indian forces to hit targets well within Pakistani territory.

“We were able to penetrate air defence as long as 300 km with pinpoint accuracy and targets, airfields and infrastructure, deep inside Pakistan. That indicates the functionality of the equipment,” he said,.

According to him, the current ceasefire is holding, but its future depends on Pakistan’s actions. “We have laid clear red lines,” he stated.