CHANDIGARH: General VP Malik, former Army Chief who led India to victory in the 1999 Kargil War, spoke to Harpreet Bajwa of The New Indian Express on Operation Sindoor. He said the use of terrorists has long been an integral part of Pakistan’s DNA, ethos, and military doctrine.
Regarding its nuclear threats, he added that Pakistan now understands any misadventure could lead to its complete destruction. Excerpts from the conversation:
The Indian armed forces successfully executed Operation Sindoor. How do you view it?
See, it had become necessary to take action against Pakistan because they have been continuing the proxy war for a long time and they crossed a red line in Pahalgam.
I call it a red line — after that, we had to take action. So, we took very strong action, and this time the approach was a whole-of-nation effort. It wasn’t just the armed forces; we began with political and diplomatic steps. We initiated action on the Indus Water Treaty, which is both an economic and political tool. Then we launched Operation Sindoor, a kinetic action.
We had already taken earlier steps like the surgical strikes in 2016 and Operation Balakot, yet they continued. This time, a much stronger response was necessary to send a clear message. I see Operation Sindoor as very successful — a firm and emphatic message demonstrating both our political will and our military confidence and capability.
When you were the Army chief, the Kargil War took place. What is the difference now and then?
There was a significant difference at that time—not just politically, but militarily as well. They had come under the garb of jihadis. Initially, they claimed to be jihadis, and it took us some time to realise that they were actually Pakistani army personnel. So, we were reacting to a situation that had already landed in our lap.
The conflict took place in high-altitude mountainous terrain, making the operation extremely difficult. We had to operate with shortages of weapons and absolutely no intelligence. The conditions were entirely different in terms of terrain and the equipment we had. What truly stood out in the Kargil War was the courage—shaurya, veerta—the sheer bravery of our Army.
Another key point is that during Kargil, we were still cautious. Although we were capable of going across the Line of Control, we were restrained. The Cabinet at that time had imposed a clear condition: do not cross the Line of Control. It was a defensive restriction, not a proactive stance.
But this time, politically, the armed forces were given full freedom—and that freedom has been effectively utilised. We must also not forget that today we are much better off as far as our technology is concerned. The capability we have built over the last 25 years is important.
What is the difference at the western front then and now?
That time we kept it as a limited war and this time also it is a limited war. That time the limited war meant we remained in J&K and we were fighting over a front of 160 kilometres. It was a defensive war, the objective and mandate given to us was throw them out but without crossing the Line of Control. But the mandate given this time was to go and hit all the terrorist camps and their headquarters.
The way innocent tourists were selectively massacred in Pahalgam, it appears that it was a complete intelligence failure. What are your comments?
This matter needs to be investigated. I am sure some inquires must be going on and it has not been made public. To some extent you can consider it a lack of intelligence. I do not want to point figures at anybody until the inquiry report is out.
Did India expect retaliation from Pakistan? What’s your take on it?
See, our targets were clear, we wanted to hit the camps of both LeT and JeM. These nine targets were selected very carefully and we hit them. When you are undertaking such an operation militarily, then you also have to accept what the enemy can do and that is the reason you find when they retaliated from their side and tried to hit our military targets we were quite prepared and we ensured that no damage was done to us. So you cannot say we were not expecting retaliation, but we made it clear to them that we were going after the terrorists.
Has the aerial supremacy of India been established as the way the IAF dismantled terrorist hideouts in Pakistan speaks of precision and perfect execution?
Very much so. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that our Air Force is very capable of doing the job that is expected of them. Their capabilities and training are very good. The strategy and technology they adopted have led to them being a superior force today.
Pakistan carried out missile and drone attacks though most of these were defused by the air defence system. Does it demonstrate our supremacy in air defence?
Yes, absolutely—there is no doubt that our air defence capability, both within the Army and the Air Force, has improved considerably. This improvement is not only in terms of weapon systems and target identification, but also in target detection. More importantly, the air defence components of the Army and the Air Force have effectively coordinated their activities, and they have clearly demonstrated this enhanced synergy.
It was a joint and concerted operation by the Army, Air Force and Navy. How do you view this?
I am glad you have raised this question. For a very long time, I have been talking about it and I am sure my colleagues from the forces will have raised this point that today we have reached a combat situation where if the three services fight with synergy, we can be far more effective and deliver greater damage to the adversary. This is also the most economical and efficient way to fight modern wars. So that is why soon after the Kargil War, if you recall, the K Subrahmanyam Committee had recommended a Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and somehow the government took almost 20 years and today you see the coordinated manner in which the Army, Air Force and Navy worked together in synergy. You see what we have been able to achieve. I think this operation has been able to showcase capabilities when we fight in coordinated fashion. We did some coordination during the Kargil War but this time it was even better.
The country’s traditional air defence systems were reinforced by indigenous platforms like Akash and modern, powerful systems such as the S-400. How do you view this?
S-400 is a Russian weapon system. We bought this despite protests made by the US, and it has proved its worth. Akash is our own indigenous system and other missiles are being produced in India. I would say all of them have done their work well depending on the range and requirement they had. I hope we start manufacturing S-400 also. The world has seen that whatever we produce and use are high quality weapon systems.
What is your take on the Indian armed forces seamlessly integrating technology with tactical expertise, demonstrating their superiority in modern warfare?
In modern warfare, it is extremely important to have this kind of mix of technology as well as manpower. We are moving in that direction and I am sure we would like to incorporate as much technology as possible. The present policy I find to be very effective and very good.
PM Modi stated that Operation Sindoor has now become the country’s new normal in tackling threats. Your take?
Yes, it is the new normal. Firstly, the Prime Minister said very rightly we will not differentiate between terrorists and their master. So far, we were trying to isolate the terrorists. Now, we have realised that there is no point in isolating as they are part and parcel of the same force from that side and a proxy war has been going on. The other important thing is that all along, Pakistan has been using nuclear blackmail, but again it has been our experience with the Kargil War and I have been saying that there is space between the nuclear threshold and the kind of activity which goes on at a lower level. A limited war is possible under the nuclear threshold and therefore we need not bother about the provocation or blackmail they do. Thirdly, we have hit them in their heartland of Punjab so it goes to show that there is no corner in Pakistan we cannot hit.
Pakistan reportedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. How can India counter this threat?
As for the nuclear weapon threat, they have realized if they try something, there will be no Pakistan tomorrow, with our retaliation and action, so the deterrent is with us. The other thing is that the international community is always keeping watch of their nuclear capability and weapons.
Can Pakistan ever be trusted?
I will not because I have been in the Army for such a long time. We need to have a very strong deterrent against them. This time, Operation Sindoor has been a strong deterrent and the lessons will go to them. I am not sure personally, knowing the Pakistani army and their leadership, that they will not indulge in proxy war. They may not for some time, as they will be recovering, but making use of terrorists has been part and parcel of their DNA. That is the way they have functioned, it is part of their ethos and doctrine. So that is why I am a little sceptical about it.
Pakistan reportedly used Chinese technology this time, is it superior?
Around 80 per cent of their weapon systems are from China. Whatever Chinese weapons they used have failed. Our own weapon systems proved to be very superior. I am sure the Pakistanis will question the Chinese about it. Now, the whole world has seen the capabilities and quality of Chinese weapon systems and quality of our systems. It is a reflection on their systems which are weak and our systems which have now been proven.