Operation Sindoor: Bharat’s Strategic Air Supremacy and Pakistan’s Shattered Illusion

Paromita Das
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th May: When history turns on the fulcrum of action, it is not merely marked by victories on the battlefield, but by the dismantling of myths. On a quiet April morning in 2025, while most of the world slept, Bharat redefined its national security doctrine with blistering clarity. What was executed in just 90 minutes under the codename Operation Sindoor was not just a series of targeted airstrikes—it was the end of Pakistan’s perceived aerial parity. For a nation long harassed by asymmetric warfare, cross-border terrorism, and strategic deception, Bharat’s bold move announced a new era: from reaction to resolution, from deterrence to dominance.

A Strategic Knockout, Not Just Tactical Wins

As BJP leader Amit Malviya accurately described, the operation was more than a precision offensive—it was a structural demolition of Pakistan’s military architecture. Eleven key airbases, spanning Pakistan’s strategic geography—from Gilgit-Baltistan to Karachi—were struck and rendered inoperable. These weren’t symbolic hits; each target was chosen for its critical function in Pakistan’s defense web. With command hubs destroyed, radar networks disabled, and frontline aircraft silenced, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was left blind, grounded, and disoriented.

The most severe blow came at Sargodha, home to elite squadrons and the Combat Commanders School. Once considered Pakistan’s most secure and powerful base, its destruction sent shockwaves not just through the PAF but also through its strategic community. The psychological message was unmissable: Bharat can reach, disrupt, and dismantle—even your most guarded nerve centers.

Dismantling Capability, Disarming Intent

Pakistan’s long-standing belief in plausible deniability and nuclear blackmail had kept Bharat’s responses measured in the past. But Operation Sindoor flipped that calculus. The strikes were preemptive, coordinated, and irreversible. Nur Khan/Chaklala, near Rawalpindi, was targeted not just for its logistical value but to paralyze military coordination at the doorstep of the political capital. Similarly, Rafiqui in Shorkot, one of the strongest offensive airbases, was wiped out, eliminating Pakistan’s ability to launch counter-air operations in central Punjab.

By disabling Sukkur, Jacobabad, and Bholari—bases that connected southern and western air mobility—Bharat cut off internal military arteries, making it impossible for Pakistan to reposition troops or secure its own skies. In destroying Skardu, Bharat didn’t just win airspace—it disrupted potential collusion between China and Pakistan in high-altitude warfare.

These were not just military strikes. They were message systems delivered at Mach speed: Your war machine can be unmade before it ever activates.

Technology Meets Political Will

This transformation didn’t occur overnight. It is the outcome of years of military modernization, indigenous capability development, and a government willing to back its forces with full strategic authority. What was lacking in 2008, after the 26/11 attacks, was not firepower but fearlessness. The Bharatiya Air Force then had mapped out targets, fighter squadrons were ready, but the political leadership under the UPA blinked.

In contrast, 2025 witnessed not just technical execution but political vision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership gave the armed forces both legitimacy and clarity. Amit Malviya’s comments reflect a wider strategic truth—this wasn’t about revenge, it was about rewriting the rules of engagement. In South Asia, air dominance is not just about combat superiority; it is about psychological ascendancy. Bharat, in that sense, now sits firmly in command.

Pakistan’s Mirage of Air Superiority Shattered

For decades, Pakistan had propped up the illusion of military equivalence through a mixture of bravado and borrowed strength. Reliant on Chinese and American platforms, and buffered by international caution over its nuclear arsenal, it projected an image of parity. But parity cannot withstand precision. When a 90-minute air campaign renders your key airbases inoperable, it is no longer a matter of perception—it is a collapse of capacity.

More importantly, the operation preempted any possible retaliation. With communications jammed, radar sites like Chunian destroyed, and airstrips like Pasrur knocked out, Pakistan could not even mount a symbolic counterstrike. In warfare, time is power. Bharat proved it could act faster, smarter, and deeper.

A Region Reconfigured

South Asia has long been seen through the lens of strategic ambiguity. But with Operation Sindoor, Bharat has introduced strategic clarity. The message is simple: aggression will not be endured—it will be neutralized. The regional balance of power has tilted unmistakably. Countries watching from the sidelines—be it China, Afghanistan, or Iran—now view Bharat as not just a defensive actor, but a decisive one.

In military terms, the shift is seismic. Bharat now holds initiative superiority—the ability to dictate not just when a conflict starts, but how it ends. For Pakistan, whose defense model relied on surprise, subversion, and sanctuary, this is an existential setback.

Deterrence Reclaimed

What Operation Sindoor truly achieved was the restoration of deterrence. For far too long, Pakistan operated on the assumption that it could strike or provoke Bharat without facing existential costs. That era is over. Bharat’s actions were not reckless; they were rational. By hitting military infrastructure and avoiding civilian casualties, it upheld international legitimacy while asserting hard power.

Critics who once warned of escalation must now recognize the new doctrine: measured force backed by unflinching resolve. The cost of inaction, as 26/11 showed, is far greater than the calibrated cost of precise retaliation. In the end, deterrence is not built on rhetoric—it is built on capability used with conviction.

A Nation That Will No Longer Wait

Operation Sindoor has done more than degrade Pakistan’s air power. It has dismantled a strategy built on delay, deception, and deniability. Bharat has shown it will not wait to be wounded before striking. The loss of eleven major airbases wasn’t just a military defeat for Pakistan—it was a doctrinal humiliation, exposing how vulnerable its war machine is when faced with a determined adversary.

As Amit Malviya rightly said, “This is what victory looks like.” It is not chest-thumping. It is cold, calculated, and complete. Bharat now holds the strategic initiative. The consequences of provocation will not be debated—they will be delivered.

Let the world, and particularly Rawalpindi, understand this new reality: Bharat has risen—not just in anger, but in authority.