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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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