New Delhi: The smoke has not so far clared over the skies of Pakistan, but one thing stands out is that the countrys military preparedness lies in shambles.
After India launched Operation Sindoor in early May, following the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, Islamabad scrambled to respond. What followed was a stunning display of Indias strategic precision and Pakistans military failure.
Indias forces crossed a red line and walked straight into the heart of Pakistans terror infrastructure. Camps that once trained infiltrators for Kashmir now lie in ruins. These strikes were not symbolic. They were calibrated, sharp and devastating. Lashkar-e-Taibas nerve centre in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammeds outpost in Bahawalpur, both were hit and flattened.
Pakistan reacted, the only way it knew, by unleashing a barrage. 840 missiles, according to Indian security sources. It was a desperate attempt to retaliate. But not a single Indian installation was hit. Not even a cracked window. Most were intercepted mid-air. Some crashed into open fields. Others malfunctioned. There was no damage. No impact. Only noise.
Indias National Security Advisor Ajit Doval put it bluntly during a recent address at IIT Madras. He dared the international media to show just one broken glass panel in any Indian military base. No one could. Because there was not one.
Pakistans missile systems failed spectacularly. Its air defence, built on imported Chinese HQ-9 platforms, did not register a single successful interception. Indias SCALP, Rampage and Crystal Maze missiles struck their targets cleanly. Satellite images show what is left smouldering compounds and craters where terror hubs once stood.
Even Lahore was not spared. Indian drones circled overhead. The targets were chosen with precision. Pakistans air defence did nothing. Later, Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Asif offered a baffling explanation. He said the system was not deployed deliberately, claiming Pakistan feared India would locate it if activated.
The excuse triggered disbelief across Islamabads own defence circles. The Pakistan Army now stands stripped bare. Its reaction time, targeting capabilities and layered defences all exposed.
Operation Sindoor was a show of force as well as a message. One that Pakistan heard loud and clear. And in the silence that followed those 840 failed missile launches, the message echoed louder than any explosion.