Army chief mocks Pak’s Op Sindoor narrative management

Operation Sindoor resembled no typical mission, as the Army was unsure of the enemy’s forthcoming actions, making it similar to a chess match. However, India achieved a clear checkmate, clinching victory over Pakistan, stated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi. He criticized Islamabad’s strategy to present itself as the winner in the conflict through its control of the narrative

“In Operation Sindoor, we played chess… We did not know what the enemy’s next move was going to be, and what we were going to do. This is called greyzone. Greyzone means that we are not going for conventional operations. What we are doing is just short of a conventional operation… We were making the chess moves, and he (enemy) was also making the chess moves,” the Army chief remarked.

Speaking at an event at the IIT Madras, he added, “Somewhere we were giving them the checkmate and somewhere we were going in for the kill at the risk of losing our own but that’s life is all about”.

He called out Pakistan’s strategic narrative management, portraying itself as the winner in the conflict, referring to the government’s decision to elevate its Army chief, Asim Munir, to the rank of five-star general and field marshal.

“Narrative management system is something which we realise in a big way because victory is in mind. It’s always in mind. If you ask a Pakistani whether you lost or won, he’d say, ‘Army chief has become Field Marshal. We must have won only, that’s why he has a become a Field Marshal’,” the Army Chief said.

The anti-terrorism operation initiated on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terrorist assault, where militants from Pakistan killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, was propelled by political determination and strategic insight at the government level, the Army chief stated. He praised the choice to allow the Army a ‘free hand’ during discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Defence Minister

“On (April) 23rd, we all sat down. This is the first time that RM (Defence Minister Rajnath Singh) said, ‘enough is enough’. All three chiefs were very clear that something had to be done. The free hand was given, ‘you decide what is to be done.’ That is the kind of confidence, political direction and political clarity we saw for the first time,” Dwivedi said at the event.

On naming the mission ‘Operation Sindoor,’ General Dwivedi said it was something that galvanised the nation.

“It is important that how a small name Op Sindoor connects the whole nation… That is something which galvanised the whole nation… That is the reason the whole nation was saying why have you stopped? That question was being asked and it has been amply answered,” he added.

India asserted that the strikes were targeted, controlled, and did not escalate tensions, while Pakistan countered with drone and missile attacks, which India’s air defense systems effectively neutralized.

The operation is largely regarded as a success for India, in terms of both military and psychological aspects. Analysts indicate that the operation showcased India’s ability for precise, coordinated military efforts, effectively dismantling terrorist networks and re-establishing deterrence against state-supported cross-border terrorism