Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military “complete freedom of action” before Operation Sindoor – the 88-hour retaliatory military campaign launched by India involving targeted precision strikes against terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
PM Modi had told the military to decide the timing of the operation while ensuring there was no scope for failure, Genral Chauhan (Retd) said.
Speaking at the Vivekananda Centre in the national capital, Chauhan said the political decision that the perpetrators of the terror attack would not be spared and that India would not tolerate cross-border terrorism was conveyed by Prime Minister Modi in his speech in Patna on April 24.
“You are aware about the political decision that the perpetrators of this particular strike will not be spared and we’ll not tolerate cross-border terrorism. This was conveyed by none other than the honourable Prime Minister in his speech in Patna on the 24th,” Chauhan said.
Operation Sindoor in May 2025 was India’s direct response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed at Baisaran, a picturesque meadow in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
General Chauhan served as India’s second Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) from September 30, 2022, until his superannuation on May 30, 2026.
When did India decided to act?
General Chauhan said decisions on diplomacy, economic power and trade were taken on April 23, while the decision on how military force would be applied was taken on April 29, when the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Defence Minister and National Security Advisor met the Prime Minister.
Chauhan said several meetings were held between April 23 and 29 as the military discussed different options with the government.
“So it was a kind of an interplay when we went to the government with our options. We had a number of options which we had discussed with the NSA. So on the 29th, when we went there, I think the big decision over there was that we should teach Pakistan a big lesson because India will not tolerate cross-border terrorism and this must end,” he said.
He said the Prime Minister made clear that there was no political pressure to launch the operation immediately.
“The Prime Minister told us only one thing: that he is not under any kind of political pressure to do it immediately. He said, ‘Do it at your own time, but ensure that there is no reason for failure, either human or because of technical reasons, and we should have evidence of whatever we do.’ And the fourth thing which he told us was complete freedom of action,” Chauhan said.
“So for the military, actually, this could be nothing better than this. What they want always is clear political direction, and that was available to us,” he added.
Genral Chauhan said politics and war are inseparable. A nation’s political interests are paramount and supreme and armed forces are one of the instruments to protect it. “It is twofold: Firstly, to provide options to the government for the application of that particular force so that it can achieve its objectives. And second, it is to provide some kind of confidence to the government. So the government can have as many options as it desires, provided it has spent that much amount of money during peacetime to develop its capabilities,” he said.