Understood mistakes, rectified them: Top General reflects on Op Sindoor losses
The Akash missile system was pivotal in thwarting Pakistan's sustained drone and missile attacks during Operation Sindoor,
"What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down... Why they were down, what mistakes were made - that are important. Numbers are not important," said Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
The CDS, however, dismissed the Pakistan Prime Minister's claims that it shot down six Indian jets, calling it 'absolutely incorrect'.
In a separate interview to Reuters, General Chauhan said the losses India suffered were in the initial stages, on May 7, when it launched Operation Sindoor.
"What I can say is that on May 7, in the initial stages, there were losses... What was important is why these losses occur and what we will do after that," he told the agency.
In an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, however, dismissed the Pakistan Prime Minister's claims that it shot down six Indian jets, including four Rafales, as "absolutely incorrect".
'QUICK TO REMEDY TACTICAL MISTAKES'
However, the Chief of Defence Staff said the armed forces were quick to analyse the "tactical mistakes", remedy them, and again target Pakistan on May 8 and May 10.
"The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range," Gen Chauhan said.
The remarks are the most direct by the army so far on losses suffered during the hostilities, which came as India destroyed nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan. It was in response to the horrific Pahalgam attack, which left 25 tourists dead.
As Pakistan retaliated by launching a wave of drone attacks targeting Indian military facilities and border towns, the armed forces struck 11 vital airbases with long-range BrahMos missiles.
"On the India-Pakistan relationship, we are not operating without a strategy.
When we gained independence, Pakistan was ahead of us on every metric: social, economic, GDP per capita. Today, India is ahead on all fronts: economic performance, human development, and social harmony, despite our greater diversity," he said speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defence and security summit.
He underlined that India had reached out to Pakistan several times, like in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited then-premier Nawaz Sharif to his oath ceremony after the BJP's win in the Lok Sabha polls.
The next year, PM Modi made a surprise stop in Lahore to meet Sharif and wish him on his birthday.
"Diplomatically, we have reached out like in 2014 when the PM invited Nawaz Sharif. But it takes two hands to clap. If all we get in return is hostility, then disengagement may itself be a sound strategy for now," he said.
ON OPERATION SINDOOR AND AKASH SYSTEM
The Chief of Defence Staff pointed out how indigenous platforms like the Akash missile system were used effectively to neutralise attacks from Pakistan.
In the same breath, he highlighted that integrated radars, built into a cohesive network across India, proved to be crucial.
"We have not only used indigenous platforms like the Akash missile system effectively, but we have also built our own networking infrastructure for air defence without relying on foreign vendors. We have integrated radars from multiple sources into a cohesive network across India and that was crucial," General Chauhan said.
The Akash missile system was pivotal in thwarting Pakistan's sustained drone and missile attacks during Operation Sindoor, India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, earlier this month. In retaliation, Indian forces targeted 11 key Pakistani military sites, including the Nur Khan air base, which is just 10 km from the Army headquarters.
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