Nation’s passage from the Kargil war of 1999 to the Operation Sindoor of 2025 reflects a striking evolution in military doctrine, operational capability, and political will
India’s modern military history has been shaped by its enduring and evolving conflict with Pakistan. From the freezing heights of Kargil to the beyond visual range battles of Operation Sindoor, the nature, scope, and tools of this confrontation have transformed dramatically. It took 84 gruelling days of relentless combat during the Kargil War to push back Pakistani regulars from icy heights on our side of the line of control (LoC). The operation was physically punishing, strategically constrained, and painfully costly with India reclaiming every inch of its territory.
In stark contrast, in Operation Sindoor we not only responded to Pakistan’s hybrid provocation but struck deep into its heartland forcing a ceasefire within 86 hours. While Kargil was about reclaiming ground, Operation Sindoor was about shaping the strategic space beyond our borders. This contrast is not just about time, but transformation of India’s security strategy from reactive resilience to proactive punishment, from traditional warfare to multi-domain dominance.
On May 3, 1999, what seemed like another day in the high-altitude terrain of Kargil turned ominous when local shepherds in the Batalik sector reported unusual movement. What followed was a revelation that stunned the Indian security establishment, Pakistani regulars and armed infiltrators, disguised as militants, had crossed the LoC and occupied fortified positions on the Indian side in the Dras, Kargil, and Batalik sectors. What began as stealthy infiltration soon escalated into Operation Vijay, a full-scale military response to evict the enemy from the icy heights of Kashmir. Over 84 days, the Indian Army, backed by precise air strikes from the Indian Air Force (IAF) under Operation Safed Sagar, engaged in intense high-altitude warfare.
The terrain was unforgiving, the weather treacherous, and the enemy deeply entrenched at commanding heights. Despite the odds, by July 26, 1999, Indian forces had successfully recaptured the positions, pushing back the Pakistani troops across the LoC.
The victory at Kargil came at a steep cost, 527 soldiers laid down their lives, over 1,300 were wounded, and countless stories of courage were etched into the nation’s memory. The conflict was a conventional, attrition-based war, fought with grit and blood on the highest battleground in the world. It was a message that India would not tolerate incursions and would defend every inch of its territory.
After the Kargil war, Pakistan recalibrated its strategy. Abandoning conventional warfare, it embraced proxy war using terrorism, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Indian urban centres. The next two decades were marked by a series of high-profile, Pakistan-backed terror attacks. In November 2008, ten terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, trained in Pakistan, unleashed horror in Mumbai during the 26/11 attacks, killing 166 innocent civilians. India’s response remained diplomatic, urging global pressure on Pakistan to act. In January 2016, Pakistani terrorists attacked the Pathankot air force station, exposing critical security gaps. Later that year, a suicide attack on an Army camp in Uri killed 19 Indian soldiers. This time, India responded decisively. In September 2016, surgical strikes were launched by India across the LoC, destroying multiple terrorist launch pads, India’s first publicly acknowledged kinetic response to terror on Pakistani soil.
Yet the cycle continued. In February 2019, a suicide bomber from Jaish-e-Mohammed rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, killing 40 jawans. The attack, claimed openly by Pakistan-based terror handlers, provoked a historic response. On 26 February 2019, the Indian Air Force struck JeM’s biggest training facility in Balakot, deep within Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province crossing the international border for the first time since the 1971 war. The Balakot airstrikes shattered the myth that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could indefinitely deter Indian retaliation. India had now embraced pre-emptive non-contact warfare showcasing its resolve to escalate, if necessary.
On April 22, 2025, the peaceful town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir was jolted by one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent years, when heavily armed militants massacred 26 innocent civilians. The attack, traced back to operatives from Pakistan-based terror group The Resistance Front (TRF) was a grim reminder that the proxy war against India by Pakistan remained alive despite past deterrent actions. India responded with Operation Sindoor, a multi-domain counteroffensive that marked several firsts in Indian military history.
India struck targets not only across the LoC but deep beyond the international border, neutralising Pakistan-based terrorist infrastructure, military complexes, airfields, drone-launch facilities, radar stations etc deep inside hostile territory. Air supremacy was achieved using Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles with real-time battlefield awareness from satellites and drones. Military targets were chosen deliberately, signalling to Pakistan and the world that India would strike state-backed infrastructure supporting terror. The operation marked a paradigm shift toward precision-based, contactless warfare. For the first time, India demonstrated full-spectrum dominance combining land, air, maritime, space, electronic and cyber capabilities executing multi-domain operations which lasted 86 hours and achieved complete tactical and strategic surprise, forcing Pakistan to ceasefire.
India’s journey from the Kargil war to the Operation Sindoor reflects a striking evolution in military doctrine, operational capability, and political will. The key transformation has been a shift from reactive defence to calibrated offence, with technological superiority and strategic boldness defining India’s new security posture. India’s doctrine now sees terror attacks as acts of war, regardless of whether they are executed by non-state actors. Future attacks like Pahalgam or Pulwama will draw measured but firm military responses, targeting launch pads, logistics chains, and even military backing infrastructure inside Pakistan. Pakistan’s nuclear posturing will not prevent India from launching limited, high-impact operations.
As we observe Kargil Vijay Diwas, let us remember not only the heroes of 1999 but also the evolving role our armed forces play in defending a 21st-century India. Kargil taught us that no terrain is too tough when our resolve is clear. The Operation Sindoor proved that no threat is too sophisticated when our systems are ready.
Let this day be more than a commemoration, together we should pledge to honour our past, secure our present, and be prepared for every possible future.
(Brigadier (Retd) Anil John Alfred Pereira is a veteran from Goa, who served the nation with distinction for 32 years.)
