Before Operation Sindoor: A Timeline Of India's Major Military Strikes Against Pakistan

Explore India's major military operations against Pakistan — from Meghdoot and Vijay to the latest tri-service strike, Operation Sindoor.

Army personnel during a joint training phase conducted (ANI)

India's fresh tri-service strike, code-named 'Operation Sindoor', is a new milestone in the country's struggle against cross-border terrorism. The 25-minute precision strike at 1:25 AM on Wednesday targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had claimed the lives of 26 people, one of them being a Nepali national.

The strike is historic because it is India's first combined Army-Navy-Air Force operation since the 1971 war, and was carried out with precision surgery, eliminating nine high-value terror camps. Official sources said 70 terrorists were eliminated, and more than 60 were wounded, including operatives of camps that had trained 26/11 attackers Ajmal Kasab and David Headley.

The attack was termed by the government as "measured, non-escalatory, and proportionate", refraining from targeting Pakistani military positions. The mission was based on RAW intelligence, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval chairing more than 15 strategy meetings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who watched the strike unfold in real-time, allegedly dubbed the operation 'Sindoor' as an expression of respect for the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam massacre.

India's History Of Military Raids On Pakistan

Operation Sindoor adds itself to a long series of Indian military retaliation against Pakistan's provocation. Here's a glimpse at some of the most prominent earlier operations:

• Operation Bandar (2019): Following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF men were killed, the Indian Air Force carried out aerial strikes in Balakot, targeting Jaish-e-Mohammed militant camps. This was India's first cross-border airstrike since the 1971 war.

• Uri Surgical Strikes (2016): Following the brutal attack on an Army base in Uri, the Indian Army conducted a cross-LoC strike, killing several terror launchpads. The operation was marked by success and no Indian casualties.

• Operation Vijay & Safed Sagar (1999): India launched Operation Vijay to retake strategic heights occupied by Pakistani forces during the Kargil War. At the same time, the Air Force launched Operation Safed Sagar, using aerial power to evict entrenched foes.

• Operation Meghdoot (1984): It gained Indian domination of the Siachen Glacier ahead of Pakistan's Operation Ababeel. Indian forces were air-lifted to capture crucial passes such as Bilafond La and Sia La, and India has retained control over Siachen since then.

• 1971 War: Operations Cactus Lily, Trident, and Python:

• Cactus Lily was air and ground operations to capture Dhaka by evading Pakistani defenses.

• Operation Trident was a sea strike against Karachi, India's maiden anti-ship missile operation in war.

• Operation Python further asserted the efficacy of Trident, devastating Pakistan's naval logistics.

• Operations Riddle & Ablaze (1965):

• Riddle was initiated to counter Pakistani infiltrations in Jammu and Kashmir, against Lahore and Kasur.

• Ablaze was an anticipatory war precautionary mobilisation in Gujarat and the Rann of Kutch, preparatory to subsequent conflict.

From calibrated counterattacks to large-scale military operations, these actions highlight India's changing doctrine of deterrence and retaliation. Operation Sindoor, symbolic but calculated, indicates India's unshakeable position against terror, particularly when it originates from across the border.