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    EYE ON INDIA                                                              MAY 08, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 10

               DETERRENCE AS DOCTRINE:

                           Operation Sindoor and the

             Evolving India-Pakistan Equation

             India’s post-Sindoor strategy signals a hardening stance on Pakistan, blending military doctrine,

                                                   narrative control and sustained pressure.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            strategic impact.
                                                                                                                      However, the threat environ-
            Washington, DC / NEW DELHI
                                                                                                                  ment remains fluid. Experts caution
                   early a year after Operation                                                                   that future risks may not follow pre-
                   Sindoor, India’s national se-                                                                  dictable patterns. “You don’t know
            Ncurity  posture  towards  Paki-                                                                      where your next threat is going to
            stan is undergoing a marked shift—                                                                    come  from,”  Sareen  observed,  un-
            from reactive diplomacy to a doctrine                                                                 derscoring the need for constant pre-
            rooted in deterrence, pressure and                                                                    paredness.
            strategic clarity.                                                                                        The geopolitical dimension adds
                At the core of this recalibration                                                                 another layer of complexity. Claims
            is a simple but forceful idea articu-                                                                 by Donald Trump that he brokered a
            lated by Defence Minister Rajnath                                                                     ceasefire during the conflict—asser-
            Singh:  “Bhay  bin  hoye  na  preet”—                                                                 tions India has disputed—highlight
            there can be no peace without fear.                                                                   the potential for external narratives
            In policy terms, this translates into                                                                 to  shape  perceptions  of  regional
            a belief  that  stability  in  India-Paki-                                                            crises. New Delhi maintains that
            stan relations can only be sustained if                                                               the  ceasefire  followed  direct  mil-
            backed by credible military strength   Indian Naval Symphonic Orchestra performs the patriotic piece ‘Kasam Sindoor Ki’ on Opera-  itary-to-military  communication,
            and the willingness to act.              tion Sindoor during ‘Sargam 2026’, in New Delhi  (@VPIndia X/ANI Photo)  reinforcing its position of strategic
                Experts argue that Operation                                                                      autonomy.
            Sindoor  has  become  the  defining   Such a framework directly ad-  and  powerful,”  Devasher  said,  re-  For India, the legacy of Oper-
            template for this approach. Conduct-  dresses what Indian policymakers see   ferring  to  Rajnath  Singh’s  remarks.   ation Sindoor lies in its attempt to
            ed on May 7 last year in response to   as the central threat from Pakistan—  “You keep them under check, talk to   redefine  red  lines.  It  conveys  what
            the Pahalgam terror attack, the op-  state-backed terrorism operating   them from strength, don’t show any   Singh described as an “unequivo-
            eration saw India strike terror infra-  through proxies. Observer Research   weakness.”               cal global message” that India is no
            structure in Pakistan and Pakistan-oc-  Foundation Senior Fellow Sushant   Sareen went further, advocat-  longer confined to issuing diplomatic
            cupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK),   Sareen challenged the conventional   ing  a  more hard-edged approach.   protests in response to terror attacks.
            followed by targeting of airbases af-  distinction between state and non-  “Fear works best. If neighbours are   Instead, the strategy now inte-
            ter escalation attempts by Islamabad.  state actors, calling it misleading.   afraid of how much damage you can   grates deterrence, doctrinal clarity
                According  to  Tilak  Devash-  “Non-state actors is also a very stupid   cause… nothing works like that,” he   and operational readiness. It also
            er, former member of the National   kind of description because they’re   said, criticising what he described as   reflects  a  broader  understanding  of
            Security  Advisory  Board,  the  most   actually state actors… proxies of the   India’s past tendency to act as the   terrorism as a multi-dimensional
            significant  takeaway  was  not  just   state,” he said.            “nice guy.”                       challenge—“operational, ideologi-
            the operation itself, but the intent it   The implications are significant.   This emerging consensus points   cal, and political,” in Singh’s words—
            demonstrated. “The biggest learning   By collapsing this distinction, India is   to a strategy of sustained pressure—  requiring a comprehensive response.
            for Operation Sindoor is the intent   signalling that future responses may   military, diplomatic and information-  As long as Pakistan continues to
            that  India  demonstrated,”  he  said,   target not just militant groups but   al. Sareen stressed the importance of   be  seen  as  a  hub  of  “International
            adding that India converted intent   also elements linked to the Pakistani   “piling  up  the  pressure”  and  aban-  Terrorism,” as Singh put it, the threat
            into “actual physical targeting of ter-  state apparatus.           doning symbolic gestures  of  friend-  calculus is unlikely to change. What
            ror infrastructure.”                  Beyond military action, Oper-  ship, arguing for a posture that deals   has changed, however, is India’s re-
                This shift has crystallised into a   ation Sindoor has also reshaped In-  with Pakistan “with disdain.”  sponse framework.
            new doctrine: any act of terrorism   dia’s diplomatic posture. Experts at   At  the  same  time,  Operation   Operation Sindoor, in this sense,
            will be treated as an act of war, with   the National Security Summit 2.0 ar-  Sindoor underscored the importance   is not just a past military action but
            no distinction between perpetrators   gued that earlier efforts at goodwill   of narrative warfare in modern con-  a forward-looking doctrine—one
            and their sponsors. “If you have laid   and engagement were often inter-  flicts. “Information is power,” Sareen   that seeks to impose costs, shape be-
            down a doctrine that an act of terror   preted as weakness by Pakistan.  noted, raising questions about how   haviour and redefine the rules of en-
            is an act of war, you then cannot back   “I think what he was trying to   India can better manage the flow and   gagement in one of the world’s most
            down,” Devasher emphasised.       say… is that you have to be strong   timing of information to maximise   volatile bilateral relationships.

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