'Political Will, Clear Directions And No Restrictions': IAF Chief On Op Sindoor's Success

Last Updated:August 09, 2025, 13:40 IST

IAF chief's remarks came after an India’s defence attaché to Indonesia said that the IAF lost some fighter jets during Op Sindoor due to political limits

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh | File Image

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Saturday asserted that the success of Operation Sindoor was rooted in “political will" and “clear directions" from the country’s political leadership.

Notably, his remarks come against the backdrop of comments by India’s defence attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, who told a seminar earlier this month that the IAF lost some fighter jets during Operation Sindoor due to political limits.

“There was political will, clear directions given to us, and there were no restrictions," Singh said at an event in Bengaluru, calling it a key reason for the operation’s success.

“If there were any constraints, they were self-made… We decided how much to escalate… We had full freedom to plan and execute. Our attacks were calibrated because we wanted to be mature about it… There was a synchronisation between the three forces," the IAF chief added.

Speaking at a seminar after Operation Sindoor, Captain Kumar had said: “May not agree (with an earlier Indonesian speaker’s claim) that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership."

IAF Chief On Mission Gains

Detailing operational gains, Singh revealed that India’s air defence systems destroyed five Pakistani fighter jets and an AEW&C/ELINT aircraft — a specialised plane used for airborne surveillance and early warning — during the offensive.

He said some parked F-16s were destroyed in Jacobabad, and the AEW&C was downed in Bholari.

The IAF chief backed the decision to pause Operation Sindoor, saying people let egos drive the war and that once objectives were achieved, India should have explored opportunities to stop, despite calls from some quarters to continue fighting.

“We cannot afford to be continuously at war. We were in a mode of deterrence. The decision was taken at the higher level not to continue the war, and we were part of it."

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, and targeted nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Ronit Singh

Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be...Read More

Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be...

Read More

Location :

First Published:

August 09, 2025, 13:33 IST

News india 'Political Will, Clear Directions And No Restrictions': IAF Chief On Op Sindoor's Success

Read More