Operation Sindoor, India's response to the Pahalgam attack, which resulted in the death of 26 civilians, faced a complex challenge with Pakistan, which was actively supported by China and Türkiye. This revelation, made by India's Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Rahul R Singh, highlights the intricate nature of modern warfare and the growing nexus between certain nations.
Lt Gen Singh, speaking at a seminar on 'New Age Military Technologies' organized by FICCI, stated that during Operation Sindoor, India effectively faced three adversaries on a single border. He identified Pakistan as the primary aggressor, with China providing extensive support and Türkiye playing a significant role. This marked the first official public acknowledgment of China's real-time support to Pakistan and Turkey's direct involvement in Operation Sindoor.
China's support to Pakistan included providing real-time intelligence on Indian military movements and deployments. This allowed Pakistan to track India's important vectors in real-time, significantly altering the course of the operation. Lt Gen Singh emphasized that during DGMO-level talks, Pakistan possessed full visibility into Indian military deployments, underscoring the depth of Chinese intelligence support. He bluntly stated that Pakistan was receiving live updates of Indian deployments from China, turning the battlefield into a live testing ground for Chinese weaponry.
Furthermore, Lt Gen Singh pointed out Pakistan's heavy reliance on Chinese military hardware, with 81% of its arsenal originating from China in the last five years. He suggested that China strategically uses Pakistan as a "borrowed knife" to inflict damage without direct confrontation, aligning with Beijing's "36 stratagems". This allows China to test its equipment and strategies in a real-world scenario, using the conflict as a "live lab".
Türkiye's role in Operation Sindoor involved supplying drones and possibly providing trained personnel to Pakistan. Lt Gen Singh noted the presence of numerous drones and trained individuals during the conflict, indicating a deeper level of involvement from Ankara.
Operation Sindoor also exposed gaps in India's air defense capabilities and the need for improved C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and civil-military fusion. Lt Gen Singh stressed the importance of moving swiftly to address these vulnerabilities and adopting a proactive approach to national security. He cautioned against complacency and emphasized the necessity of precise action, rapid intelligence gathering, and zero tolerance for absorbing attacks in the old ways.
The operation itself was a carefully calibrated response, combining new technology with human intelligence to identify and target terror-linked sites. From an initial list of 21 targets, nine were ultimately selected for engagement, demonstrating a strategic and precise approach. Lt Gen Singh highlighted the unambiguous strategic messaging from the leadership and the shift towards a more assertive stance, signaling that India would not absorb pain as it had in the past.
