India’s response to the Pahalgam terror assault and the ensuing Operation Sindoor was a “clear-cut military victory,” according to Austrian aerial warfare specialist and historian Tom Cooper, highlighting India’s superior advantage over Pakistan during the conflict.
Cooper emphasized that India not only outmatched Pakistan militarily but also conveyed a powerful geopolitical message with its well-timed and accurate strikes, over a year after the operationHe clarified that India’s counterattack, which targeted significant terror camps within Pakistan and struck areas that were previously thought to be untouchable, was quite effective. India’s strategic approach underwent a dramatic change when the extent of the devastation compelled Pakistan to adopt a defensive stance.
Cooper pointed out that New Delhi’s message was clear: Islamabad was helpless to stop India from attacking any target in Pakistan.
.Pakistan tried escalation by attacking Indian airbases, military installations, and civilian areas surrounding Amritsar in response to India’s strikes on May 7 of last year. Cooper emphasized that these attempts were unsuccessful because between 95 and 98 percent of incoming Pakistani rockets, missiles, and UAVs were intercepted and destroyed by Indian air defense systems. India upped pressure by precisely hitting Pakistan’s air defense installations and important airbases, rendering Pakistan’s counterattack mainly ineffectual.
India stopped Pakistan’s attempts to escalate with tactical ballistic and cruise missiles and carried out accurate strikes that destroyed vital Pakistani capabilities.
Cooper emphasized that this series of events put tremendous pressure on Pakistan’s leadership by showcasing India’s capacity for successful attacks and its willingness for escalation.
He stated unequivocally that India had won and that Pakistan’s few tactical victories had not changed the overall outcome.
Cooper also looked at Pakistan’s internal dynamics, pointing out that the military must show might and invincibility in order to maintain control over the civilian administration. According to him, this is fundamental to Pakistan’s internal narrative, which portrays military supremacy as necessary for the country’s survival.
He went on to say that Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese platforms, such as PL-15 missiles and J-10 fighter jets, only provided short-term respite rather than long-term fixes. Pakistan’s capacity to maintain large-scale purchases was further hampered by economic limitations, with a number of investment projects falling short of expectations.
Cooper cautioned that future conflicts between India and Pakistan are likely due to unresolved underlying tensions.
According to him, Operation Sindoor showed India’s increasing military capacity to carry out accurate, high-impact operations against deeply embedded targets, emphasizing its readiness, technological prowess, and capacity to react forcefully to new threats.
