Former Army chief General M. M. Naravane has said that Operation Sindoor marked a “very significant shift” in India’s counter‑terrorism strategy, signalling that those supporting terrorism inside Pakistan would no longer remain beyond India’s reach. Speaking at a private event in Vadodara, Naravane explained that the operation — launched after the Pahalgam terror attack — sent a clear and deliberate message: India will act wherever terror is supported, not just along the border.
Naravane contrasted Operation Sindoor with earlier responses such as the Uri surgical strikes and the Balakot air strikes after Pulwama. Those operations primarily targeted terrorist hideouts close to the border, focusing on camps and launch pads used to infiltrate militants into Jammu & Kashmir. Operation Sindoor, he said, went far deeper, striking at networks, infrastructure and individuals providing support to terror groups inside Pakistan’s interior.
He described this evolution as necessary, arguing that limiting action to border‑adjacent targets allowed deeper support structures to remain untouched. By expanding the scope, India demonstrated both capability and intent to dismantle terrorism at its roots.
Naravane added that Operation Sindoor was not only a military response but also a strategic signalling exercise, aimed at reshaping deterrence dynamics with Pakistan. The operation, he said, made it clear that geography would not shield those enabling attacks on Indian soil.