Amid global efforts to find a “quick end” to the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh advised world powers to learn from India’s approach to conflict termination.
Speaking at an event in Delhi, ACM Singh recalled Operation Sindoor, launched in May against Pakistan, and said, “The main wars that are going on today, be it Russia, Ukraine or the Israel war. They are going on, years have passed, because no one is thinking about conflict termination. I think the world has to learn a lesson from India about how to start and terminate a conflict at the earliest possible opportunity.”
The Russia-Ukraine war, ongoing since February 2022, has cost thousands of lives and caused major destruction, while Israel has been locked in hostilities with Hamas and allied Islamic countries since October 2023.
Operation Sindoor: India’s Four-Day Conflict With Pakistan
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, where Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 25 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. In the strikes, Indian forces destroyed nine terror launch pads and killed over 100 terrorists inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan responded with drone and missile attacks targeting military and civilian locations, but India’s air defence thwarted them without any damage. India continued its precision strikes, hitting only terrorist and military targets, before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10.
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While some opposition leaders questioned the decision to halt operations, ACM Singh defended the move. “We heard that people said that no, we should have done a little more. We stopped the war very quickly. Yes, they (Pakistan) were on the back foot, no doubt, but what was our objective? Our objective was anti-terrorism. We had to strike them. We had done that. So if our objectives have been met, then why should we not terminate a conflict? Why should we carry on? Because any conflict has a lot of price which has to be paid,” he said.
Singh added that prolonging the conflict would have affected India’s preparedness, economy, and progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later noted that Operation Sindoor is still underway, with India warning Pakistan that any future misadventure would invite an even stronger response.
