Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described in detail at the Lok Sabha’s Monsoon Session why India decided to stop its military action against Pakistan, known as Operation Sindoor, in May 2025. Singh declared explicitly that the operation was ended not owing to foreign pressure or diplomatic constraints, but because India had met all of its predetermined political and military objectives.
Operation Sindoor was launched in direct response to the heinous Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed after being targeted on religious grounds by terrorists linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, operating through its proxy, The Resistance Front.
India’s goal was clear: to deal a devastating and proportional blow to the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, so discouraging similar acts of cross-border terrorism—without launching a full-fledged war.
Singh described how, following rigorous intelligence collection and significant operational preparation, Indian forces carried out pinpoint strikes on nine important terror facilities. The strikes were carried out with extreme caution to do maximum damage to terrorist infrastructure while minimizing civilian deaths.
According to Singh, seven terror camps were entirely destroyed, and there is intelligence proof of significant damage inside Pakistan and PoK. Importantly, India suffered no military deaths during the operation, nor did key assets disappear.
The precise military measures were carried out quickly: the primary phase of the operation reportedly lasted about 22 minutes, during which “the Pahalgam killings were avenged” and India’s key objectives were met. The strikes hampered Pakistan’s capacity to escalate further, crippling its military infrastructure and imposing a severe strategic cost.
Singh emphasized that any suggestions that India’s hand was forced by international actors or nuclear fears were “baseless and absolutely wrong.”
He reaffirmed that the Indian government’s motivation was to bring justice to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, as well as to send a clear message that any nation that shelters or nurtures terrorism, including Pakistan, will face decisive, robust, and precise retaliation from India.
Singh also maintained that Operation Sindoor demonstrates a new Indian doctrine, one that replaces strategic prudence with calibrated, politically unambiguous use of force.
He reminded Pakistan that the pause was only a conditional de-escalation; if Pakistan engaged in cross-border terrorism again, Indian military action would start immediately.
Rajnath Singh’s Lok Sabha presentation underlined that India’s suspension of military operations was a sovereign decision based solely on achieving its stated goals—demonstrating both capacity and resolve—while debunking perceptions of foreign coercion or unfinished business.
