CDS General Anil Chauhan Clarifies Timing of Operation Sindoor Notification to Pakistan

 New Delhi, June 3 — Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday provided key insights into Operation Sindoor, affirming that India notified Pakistan only after the successful completion of precision strikes targeting terror infrastructure across the border. His remarks came amid opposition allegations questioning the government's handling of operational secrecy.

Delivering a lecture on Future Wars and Warfare at Savitribai Phule Pune University, General Chauhan stated that the strikes were executed between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on May 7, and that Pakistan was informed approximately five minutes after the operation concluded.

“We informed Pakistan on the day the strikes were conducted. Five minutes after the operations ended, we communicated with them to convey that the action had taken place,” General Chauhan said.

His clarification comes in the wake of criticism from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who accused the Centre of compromising national interest by allegedly providing prior notice to Pakistan. Gandhi had labelled the alleged move “a crime,” demanding to know who authorised the disclosure and questioning the potential cost to India’s air assets.

Responding indirectly to such criticism, General Chauhan stressed that the Indian Armed Forces operated with “a great degree of rationality,” deliberately targeting terror camps while avoiding civilian zones and Pakistani military facilities.

“We informed their Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) that our operations were limited to terror targets. No civilian or military assets were harmed, and every effort was made to avoid collateral damage,” he said.

Last month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also acknowledged that Pakistan had been notified, triggering a political storm and subsequent clarification by the armed forces’ top leadership.

Describing Operation Sindoor as a landmark achievement in India’s military history, General Chauhan noted that the strikes demonstrated India’s deep-strike capabilities and effectiveness in breaching hostile air defence systems.

“Operation Sindoor made history in the domain of air warfare. It was a testament to our precision, resolve, and operational depth. We conducted strikes deep inside adversarial territory, neutralising high-value terror assets while successfully navigating their air defence networks,” he said.

Launched in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, Operation Sindoor targeted multiple terrorist installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation has since been hailed by defence analysts as a significant escalation in India's counter-terrorism strategy.