‘Whatever loss they suffered, it was their own responsibility’: Air Marshal Bharti details response to Pak aggression

NEW DELHI: Director General Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti on Monday detailed the success of the Indian Armed Forces’ Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The operation, a response to the April 22, Pahalgam, terror attack, was executed with precision to minimize damage to civilian and military infrastructure despite intervention by the Pakistani military.

#WATCH | Delhi | #OperationSindoor | On being asked about the message being conveyed by using Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s poem in the video presentation, Air Marshal AK Bharti says, “…’विनय ना मानत जलध जड़ गए तीन दिन बीति। बोले राम सकोप तब भय बिनु होय ना प्रीति’..” pic.twitter.com/WBDdUI47oX

— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2025

Addressing a press briefing, Air Marshal Bharti emphasised that the Indian Armed Forces’ fight was solely against terrorists and their support networks, not the Pakistani military. The Armed forces also displayed a video that showed the destruction to Pakistani ordinance in the strikes.

He noted that the Pakistan military chose to intervene, and thus any loss from their side was their sole responsibility.

“We had a detailed brief on the successful joint operations to destroy the terror operation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan itself… We reiterated that our fight was with terrorists and their support infrastructure and not with the Pakistani military. However, it is a pity that the Pakistani military chose to intervene and back the terrorists, which compelled us to respond, and whatever loss they suffered, it was their own responsibility,” he stated.

The Air Marshal highlighted the effectiveness of India’s layered and intricate air defence (AD) system, which played a pivotal role in thwarting multiple waves of Pakistani drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The robust AD environment, comprising assets from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, included multilayered sensors and weapon systems, indigenously developed soft and hard-kill counter-UAV systems, and highly trained personnel. The Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was instrumental in coordinating this defence network.

“This brings me to the point of how the Indian Forces brought minimum damage to both civilian and military infrastructures in spite of Pakistan’s unrelenting forces… The majority populace has a lot to say about the layered and intricate air defence system put in place by the Indian Armed Forces, which includes assets of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force… This robust AD system comprises a large variety of multilayer AD sensors and weapon systems… Numerous waves of drones and UAVS deployed by Pakistan were also thwarted by the indigenously developed soft and hard kill counter-UAV systems and the well-trained Indian personnel,” Air Marshal Bharti noted.

He also revealed that a Chinese-origin PL-15 missile, which missed its target, was intercepted, with its debris recovered by Indian forces. Additionally, a long-range rocket, loitering munitions, and other unmanned aerial systems (UAS) deployed by Pakistan were successfully brought down.

#WATCH | Delhi | #OperationSindoor | Air Marshal AK Bharti says, “…This was a different kind of warfare and is bound to happen. God forbid, but if we fight another war, that would be completely different from this one. It is a cat-and-mouse game, and we need to be ahead of the… pic.twitter.com/AJTZ3zQrv2

— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2025

Air Marshal Bharti attributed the success of India’s air defence capabilities to a decade of unwavering budgetary support from the Government of India, which enabled the development and deployment of advanced systems.

“All these were brought together as an effective AD environment by the IACCS of the IAF. The performance demonstrated by the older battle system also took them (drones) head-on… Another highlight was the stellar indigenous AD, like the Akash System… This AD environment was possible over the last decade because of the unwavering budget allocated by the Government of India,” he stated.

#WATCH | Delhi | #OperationSindoor | Air Marshal AK Bharti says, “…Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time and take them head on. Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. Putting together and… pic.twitter.com/SrkAdYiNiM

— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2025

“Numerous waves of drones and unmanned combat aerial vehicles employed by Pakistan were also thwarted by the indigenously developed soft and hard kill counter-UAS systems and the well-trained Indian Air Defence personnel,” he added.

Director General Military Operations Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai and Director General Naval Operations Vice Admiral A N Pramod were also present at the briefings. (ANI)