Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has revealed that the armed forces were given a “free hand” to retaliate against Pakistan just one day after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking on Saturday about Operation Sindoor, the military strike on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gen. Dwivedi said a meeting was held on April 23 where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared, “Enough is enough”.
“All three service chiefs were clear that action was necessary. We were told, ‘You decide what is to be done.’ That level of political clarity and confidence was unprecedented,” he said, adding that the directive boosted morale and allowed commanders to act decisively.
By April 25, military leaders had visited Northern Command, finalised plans, and selected seven of nine eventual targets — all destroyed during the May 7 operation, which killed over 100 terrorists.
Dwivedi’s remarks came hours after Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that the IAF’s S-400 systems shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a large AEW&C aircraft during the mission, inflicting heavy damage on Pakistan’s air defences.
Operation Sindoor, launched two weeks after the Pahalgam attack, became a rallying point for the nation, with public calls for decisive action answered in full, the Army chief said.
