“Not even a glass pane has been broken in India”: NSA Doval on Op Sindoor

New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday addressed the convocation ceremony at IIT Madras, where he offered a strong defence of Operation Sindoor — India’s cross-border airstrike in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.

Doval stated that the mission inflicted significant damage on Pakistani military infrastructure, particularly airbases. He said India targeted 13 locations — including nine terror bases spread across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) — with precision and “missed none of them during Operation Sindoor.”

Referring to India’s technological edge and strategic capabilities, the NSA criticised international media coverage, asserting it failed to recognise the operation’s focus on counter-terrorism.

“You tell me one photograph, one image... These are satellite images from across the world,” he said, challenging sceptics to provide proof of damage within India. “Not even a glass pane has been broken in India,” he added, taking a swipe at global media narratives.

“We are capable of doing that,” Doval said, referring to Pakistani airbases at Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Chaklala, and Rawalpindi, which he claimed were among the sites struck on May 10.

He described Operation Sindoor as both “precise” and “indigenous”. “Some of our best systems were deployed — BrahMos, battlefield surveillance radars, integrated air command and control systems.

We hit nine terrorist targets. We missed none,” Doval said, adding that the mission was completed in just 23 minutes.

This is the first time Doval has publicly spoken about Operation Sindoor, which may also be a response to demands from opposition leaders — particularly Rahul Gandhi — for transparency on reported losses suffered by the Indian Air Force.

(inputs from IANS)