Army Chief Reveals Chessboard Strategy in Operation Sindoor
General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, along with the Service Chiefs released the declassified Joint Doctrines on Cyberspace and Amphibious Operations! (Image Indian Army)
General Upendra Dwivedi says Pahalgam attack prompted decisive political clearance for ‘heartland’ strike
By TRH News Desk
Chennai, August 10, 2025 — Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi has disclosed that Operation Sindoor marked the first time Indian forces struck deep into the “heartland” of the adversary, targeting the “nursery and masters” behind terrorism. Speaking at IIT Madras, Gen. Dwivedi said the operation was conceived and executed within a week of the April 22 Pahalgam incident, which he said “shocked the nation.”
“The very next day, on April 23, the Raksha Mantri said, ‘enough is enough.’ All three service chiefs were given a free hand with clear political direction,” Gen. Dwivedi said. This was the first time we saw that level of political clarity, he added.
“By April 25, top commanders visited the Northern Command to plan and finalise the mission. Seven of nine planned targets were destroyed, resulting in a lot of terrorists killed,” he said. Targets included five in Jammu and Kashmir and four in Punjab, with two assigned to the Air Force due to long-range ammunition requirements.
Gen. Dwivedi described the strike as a “new normal” in India’s defence posture — moving beyond purely conventional warfare into “grey-zone” and multi-domain operations. “We were playing chess,” he said.
“Something was visible, something was not, and some moves were meant to shock the adversary. Even Pakistan did not expect the heartland to be hit,” he added.
He explained that grey-zone warfare involves calibrated actions just short of full-scale conventional conflict, blending operations across land, air, and other domains. “In this chessboard of 64 squares, we were giving checkmate in some places, going for the kill in others — even at the risk of losing our own,” he said.
His remarks came a day after the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, claimed that Pakistan lost at least six fighter jets during the Operation Sindoor. Air Chief Marshal Singh also credited “clear political will” for the success of the Operation Sindoor. Pakistan has refuted claims of Air Chief Marshal Singh that Pakistani fighter jets had been downed during the India-Pakistan military conflicts.
Both Gen. Dwiwedi and Air Chief Marshal Singh struck the common theme that were was clear political will during the Operation Sindoor. Remarks of the two serving military brass have come while Monsoon session of parliament is underway. Observers are also wondering why did the Indian Air Force not reveal quantified losses of Pakistani Air Force earlier.
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