In a strong and assertive address, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval criticized sections of the international media for their allegedly misleading coverage of India's recent military offensive, Operation Sindoor. Speaking at the 62nd Convocation of IIT Madras, Doval specifically named the New York Post and hinted at the New York Times, accusing them of pushing a distorted narrative that ignored the strategic success and precision of India's military actions.
Doval emphasized that while foreign media outlets propagated claims about Indian military casualties or damages, no evidence—visual or otherwise—had surfaced to substantiate these assertions. In contrast, he noted that satellite imagery showed significant impact on 13 Pakistani airbases, including key locations such as Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, and Chaklala, in the aftermath of the operation.
The NSA's comments were made in the context of India's swift and decisive response to the brutal April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region, where Pakistan-backed terrorists opened fire on civilians, killing 26, including a Nepali national. The attack, allegedly executed by Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), primarily targeted non-Muslim tourists.
In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor during the night of May 6-7, precisely targeting nine terrorist camps deep inside Pakistani territory and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These strikes were conducted with surgical accuracy, avoiding collateral damage and civilian zones. Doval confirmed, “We missed none. We hit nowhere else except that.”
India’s strategic response didn't end there. On the night of May 9-10, Indian forces went further, hitting 11 Pakistani air bases in a preemptive strike to neutralize further threats. Pakistan attempted retaliatory strikes on Indian military and civilian targets, but Indian air defense systems successfully intercepted and neutralized the attempts.
The scale and precision of Operation Sindoor were made possible, Doval noted, due to India’s emphasis on indigenous defense technologies. “We are really proud of how much of indigenous content was there,” he remarked, praising the role of Indian innovation in bolstering national defense.
The success of Operation Sindoor, coupled with Pakistan’s request for a ceasefire through its Director General of Military Operations on May 10, marks a significant strategic victory for India, both militarily and diplomatically. It also underscores India’s new defense doctrine: proactive, precise, and backed by domestic technological capabilities.
