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EYE ON INDIA JULY 18, 2025 | The Indian Eye 8

Operation Sindoor and the Battle of Narratives:

India Pushes Back as the US Claims Credit

India’s assertive military response in Operation Sindoor has not only redrawn lines of deterrence

with Pakistan but also exposed a growing rift between New Delhi and Washington—one over facts, credit,
and control of the geopolitical narrative

OUR BUREAU
Washington, DC/New Delhi
In the weeks following Opera-
tion Sindoor, India’s powerful coun-
terterrorism strike on terror infra-
structure in Pakistan, a new conflict
has emerged—not in the air or on the
border, but across press rooms, social
media feeds, and diplomatic brief-
ings. At stake is not just who won the
battle, but who controls the story.
At the heart of this narrative
clash is the sharp divergence between
India and the United States over the
origins of the ceasefire that followed
the operation. While Washington
has repeatedly claimed credit for
brokering peace between India and
Pakistan—most recently through as-
sertions made by President Donald
Trump and senior US officials—India
has firmly rejected this version, insist-
ing that the ceasefire was the result
of direct military-to-military contact
initiated by Pakistan itself. India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval (ANI sphoto)
The divide came into sharp fo-
cus during a press briefing where The military details of Operation economy, fractured civil-military re- 2019 Balakot strikes, global coverage
US State Department spokesperson Sindoor back up Doval’s confidence. lations, and global isolation, Islam- often focused on the downing of an
Tammy Bruce suggested that key US Following the April 22 Pahalgam ter- abad found itself unable to sustain Indian pilot rather than the strategic
figures, including Trump and Sec- ror attack, which killed 26 civilians retaliation. The very groups it once depth of the operation. Today, India
retary Marco Rubio, played a role and was aimed at reigniting sectarian nurtured—LeT and TRF—have appears more prepared—both mil-
in averting nuclear escalation. Her violence and undermining peace in become liabilities, especially as In- itarily and diplomatically—to assert
remarks—framed in a tone of con- Kashmir, India launched a precise dian-administered Kashmir has sta- its version of events.
descension about “opinions” and and time-bound airstrike campaign. bilized since the revocation of Arti- The narrative war also reflects
“real-time clarity”—were dismissed Over a 23-minute window, BrahMos cle 370 in 2019. A record 23 million larger geopolitical shifts. As India
in New Delhi as misleading and and Akash missiles were used to hit tourists visited the region last year, becomes a more confident regional
self-serving. nine confirmed terror infrastructure making it harder for terror outfits power, it is increasingly unwilling to
In a blistering speech at IIT Ma- sites deep inside Pakistan and Paki- to sustain their grievance-based be cast in roles written in Western
dras, India’s National Security Advi- stan-occupied Kashmir. These in- propaganda. capitals. The Modi government, and
sor Ajit Doval took aim not only at cluded air bases, training camps, and And yet, as India’s strategic mes- officials like Doval, are making it
Washington’s claims but also at the command centers linked to groups saging gains clarity, Western media clear: India will define its own victo-
Western media’s portrayal of Opera- like Lashkar-e-Taiba and its offshoot, and officials appear reluctant to let ries, set its own red lines, and tell its
tion Sindoor. Doval challenged global The Resistance Front. go of the old narrative: India as re- own story.
outlets to present even a single image Defence analyst John Spencer active, Pakistan as victim, and Wash- The fallout from Operation Sin-
proving Pakistani claims of damage called the operation a watershed mo- ington as peacemaker. The foreign door has not just rattled Pakistan—
to Indian targets. “You tell me one ment in India’s counterterrorism doc- media’s framing of the conflict has it has unsettled an entire ecosystem
photograph, one image, showing trine. “It was not just retaliation—it drawn particular ire from New Delhi. that once relied on shaping global
any Indian infrastructure hit? Even was deterrence,” Spencer noted. “In- Doval accused outlets of “bias” and opinion through filtered lenses. As
a glass pane?” he asked. By contrast, dia now responds swiftly and clearly, selective reporting, noting that while Ajit Doval put it, “We are capable.
Doval highlighted satellite imagery not to escalate, but to prevent future they were quick to amplify Pakistani And we are not afraid to show it.”
released by the same outlets show- violence.” claims, they ignored verifiable dam- In the battle for deterrence, Op-
ing extensive damage at 13 Pakistani Spencer also pointed to Paki- age caused by Indian strikes. eration Sindoor may have ended in
air bases, including strategic sites stan’s growing vulnerability, both mil- This is not the first time India has just three days. But the fight for nar-
like Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan. itary and political. With a crumbling had to correct the record. After the rative supremacy is far from over.

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