Operation Sindoor: Why Was Ceasefire Announced So Suddenly? CDS Anil Chauhan Explains

Last Updated:June 02, 2025, 11:22 IST

Speaking nearly 20 days after the ceasefire was announced on the evening of May 10, General Chauhan said that the decision was part of India’s strategic planning

CDS Anil Chauhan said that India operated with complete clarity and autonomy during Operation Sindoor. (PTI/File)

India halted its military response to Pakistan’s post-Operation Sindoor provocation after achieving all its objectives within three days, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan stated on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Speaking nearly 20 days after the ceasefire was announced on the evening of May 10, General Chauhan said that the decision was part of India’s strategic planning.

The ceasefire announcement, which came during the peak of the operation, had taken many by surprise and raised questions about the timing.

Operation Sindoor was launched after midnight on May 6–7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. According to General Anil Chauhan, India targeted nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing over 100 terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Abdul Rauf Azhar. He added that the Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes that dealt a blow to Pakistan’s air defence system and destroyed key air bases in Skardu, Jacobabad, Sargodha and Bholari.

General Anil Chauhan said that between May 7 and 10, Pakistan retaliated by firing along the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in the deaths of 15 Indian civilians and one soldier. In response, the Indian Air Force launched BrahMos missile strikes on the morning of May 10, targeting and destroying Pakistan’s Noor Khan, Chaklala airport in Rawalpindi. Following this escalation, Pakistan appealed for a ceasefire, which India agreed to, General Chauhan added.

Speaking in Singapore, General Anil Chauhan said that India operated with complete clarity and autonomy during Operation Sindoor. He said that India adopted a long-term strategic approach after gaining Independence in 1947, at a time when Pakistan was ahead in several areas. Today, however, India has surged ahead in economic, social and human development—an outcome of that sustained strategy, he said.

General Chauhan noted that despite several efforts to improve bilateral ties, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony in 2014, Pakistan has consistently responded with hostility. Therefore, he said, maintaining strategic distance is now viewed as the most appropriate course of action.

General Anil Chauhan stated that the Indian armed forces remain on high alert following the ceasefire, with a clear message that any further provocation from Pakistan will be met with a firm and decisive response. He said Operation Sindoor demonstrated India’s strength and its unwavering commitment to not remaining silent in the face of terrorism.

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