Operation Sindoor, which remains “ongoing”, gave the armed forces complete operational freedom to act and respond to any threat, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said on Tuesday, warning Pakistan
that any future provocation would be met with a firm and effective response.
Addressing his first press conference of 2026, General Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor stands as a clear demonstration of tri-service coordination under decisive political direction.
“It is the best example of jointness, where the armed forces were given full freedom to act or respond,” he said.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which was claimed by The Resistance Front, a front organisation of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The operation targeted multiple terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, resulting in the elimination of more than 100 terrorists, according to official estimates.
Following the strikes, Pakistan attempted retaliatory missile and drone attacks, all of which were intercepted by Indian air defence systems. India responded by hitting Pakistani airfields, after which a ceasefire was announced on May 10.
General Dwivedi said that while the situation along the western front and in Jammu and Kashmir remains sensitive, it is firmly under control since the ceasefire. He noted significant operational gains against terrorism over the past year.
“In 2025, security forces neutralised 31 terrorists, around 65 per cent of whom were of Pakistani origin. This includes the three attackers involved in the Pahalgam incident, who were eliminated during Operation Mahadev,” the Army chief said.
He added that the number of active local terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped to single digits, with fresh recruitment almost negligible. “Only two cases of recruitment were reported in 2025,” he said.
Highlighting improving ground conditions, General Dwivedi pointed to increased development activity, a revival of tourism and the peaceful conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra.
More than four lakh pilgrims participated this year, surpassing the five-year average. “The transition from terrorism to tourism is steadily becoming a reality,” he said.
