Op Sindoor was like a game of chess, we checkmated Pak: Army Chief

5 months ago

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor was unlike any conventional mission, likening it to a game of chess where “we did not know” the enemy’s next move. Speaking at a function at IIT-Madras, he recounted the complexities of India’s decisive military strike in May on terror infrastructure, carried out in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Using the metaphor of the chess game, Gen Dwivedi said, "In Operation Sindoor what we did, we played chess. So, what does it mean? It means, we did not know what is the next move, the enemy is going to take, and what we are going to do. This is something, we call.. the grey zone. Grey zone is that we are not going for the conventional operations. But, we are doing something, just short of a conventional operation."

Transcript

00:00And we're now getting some more inputs after a IAF chief's Pakistan aircraft downed revelation.

00:06Now, Chief of Army Staff has detailed Operation Sindhur and described Operation Sindhur as a game of chess.

00:13General Dwevedi has mocked Pakistan's victory claim, saying that NME was making chess moves.

00:20So, after IAF chief's Pakistan aircraft downed revelation yesterday,

00:24in which he stated that five fighter jets were downed off Pakistan.

00:29In fact, another aircraft was also downed by India during Operation Sindhur.

00:34Now, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwevedi has also detailed Operation Sindhur,

00:40describing the operation as a game of chess.

00:43And he also mocked Pakistan's victory claim and he said that the NME was making chess moves.

00:54Now, what does it mean?

00:56It means we did not know what is the next move the NME is going to take and what are we going to do.

01:03This is something we called about the gray zone.

01:05Gray zone is that we are not going for the conventional operations,

01:08but we are doing something which is just short of the conventional operations.

01:11Conventional operations means go with everything, Cross-Vitzyan approach.

01:15Take whatever you have.

01:17And if you're able to come back, it's okay, otherwise stay there.

01:20But that is the thing which we talk about, the conventional approach.

01:23Here, the gray zone is any activity which is taking place in all domains.

01:28That is something which we are talking about.

01:29And Ops Hindu taught us that.

01:32That this is the gray zone.

01:33So, we were making the chess moves.

01:34He was also making the chess moves.

01:36Somewhere, we were giving him checkmate.

01:38And somewhere, we were kind of going in for the kill.

01:41At the risk of even losing our own.

01:42But that's the way life is all about.

01:44So, that was Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dvivedi,

01:52speaking on Operation Sindhu, describing it as a game of chess.

01:57And in fact, he also mocked Pakistan's victory claim,

02:00saying that the enemy was making chess moves.

02:03My colleague Shivani is now joining us with more context on this.

02:07Shivani, after IAF Chief, now General Dvivedi,

02:10who is the Chief of Army Staff,

02:11has also spoken on Operation Sindhu, calling it a game of chess.

02:15Anjali, see, the Army Chief, General Upendra Dvivedi,

02:20has spoken into details about how it was being prepared

02:23after 22nd when the Pahelgaam attack happened.

02:25And he said that on 23rd, there was an important meeting

02:29where the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and all the other chiefs,

02:32they were deciding on to what's to be done.

02:35And they were given a free hand.

02:36That's very important out here,

02:38the statement of the Chief of Army Staff.

02:42He's saying that the free hand was given.

02:44And they were told that you'll decide what is to be done.

02:47And there were a lot of allegations and a lot of questions

02:50that were being asked,

02:51especially from the opposition party,

02:53about the forces not being given the free hand.

02:56Anjali, you remember, in the parliament also,

02:58these questions were there.

02:59So now there's so much clarity

03:01after the Indian Air Force Chief's address yesterday.

03:04Now the Army Chief is saying that they had all the freedom to operate.

03:11And they were also told by the Defence Minister

03:13that enough is enough.

03:15So they have to decide for some action.

03:18And what he was speaking about the chest was the grey zone

03:21because they did not know what the enemy is going to do.

03:24But they had to take that risk.

03:26And in this whole operation,

03:27Indian weapon systems along with the S-400

03:30and the other air defence systems,

03:33they proved their mettle, Anjali.

03:35And we know the result,

03:36how Pakistan came onto its knees in just four days.

03:39Absolutely, Shivani.

03:40Thank you so much for getting us that context.

03:43Let's also listen in to what General Upendra Divedi said

03:46while mocking Pakistan.

03:47And since of Sindhuur,

03:51you may be actually saturated

03:52by seeing the TV and the parliamentary debates.

03:55So I will not spend much time on that.

03:57I will say how the technology came into play.

03:59But certain things are important.

04:0022nd April, you are aware what happened in Pahalgam

04:03and it actually shocked the nation.

04:0523rd is the time when we,

04:07next day itself, we all sat down.

04:09And this is the first time which RM has also said,

04:11I think enough is enough.

04:13And all the three chiefs were very clear,

04:14something has to be done.

04:15And the free hand was given, of course,

04:18that you decide what is to be done.

04:19And that is the kind of a confidence

04:21with the political directions

04:23and political clarity for the first time we saw.

04:26And that's what made a difference

04:27because we want to do a lot.

04:30But that kind of a hand-holding

04:31and kind of a free,

04:34no terms of restrictions, if I can say that.

04:37And that is what kind of raises up your morale.

04:39And that is how it helped our army commanders

04:41or commander-in-chiefs on ground

04:43to kind of act as per their wisdom.

04:45Of course, then 25th,

04:47we visited the Northern Command,

04:48as you are aware that

04:49that is the place where we thought,

04:52planned, conceptualized, and executed

04:54the seven targets out of the nine

04:56which were destroyed

04:58and where a lot of terrorists were killed.

05:0329th April, of course,

05:04was the time when we met the Prime Minister

05:05for the first time.

05:06And thereafter, next day, of course,

05:09why I'm telling you this?

05:09Because it's important that

05:11how a small name of Sindhu

05:13connects the whole nation.

05:15And I was telling the director also

05:18that when he briefed me on this,

05:20he said,

05:20okay, we'll have this name of Sindhu.

05:22And I thought it is of Sindhu.

05:24Sindhu is basically Indus River.

05:25So I said,

05:26excellent, sir,

05:27Indus Water Treaty

05:27has just been frozen by you.

05:29He said,

05:30no, it is of Sindhu.

05:31And just see,

05:33this one name

05:33has connected the whole nation together.

05:36And today,

05:36people are saying Sindhu to Sindhu,

05:38everything we have taken care of.

05:40But that is something

05:41which galvanized the whole nation as such.

05:43And the soldiers, per se,

05:44because when I went on ground

05:46and I told them

05:46that, look,

05:48any sister,

05:49mother,

05:49daughter,

05:50whenever she applies

05:51the vermilion or the Sindhu,

05:52she will always remember the soldier.

05:54And I think

05:55that was the connect.

05:56And I think

06:03that was the connect

06:04which

06:04brought the whole nation together

06:07for one cause.

06:08And that is the reason

06:09I think the whole nation

06:10was saying,

06:10why have you stopped?

06:11I think

06:12that's the question

06:13which was being asked.

06:14But of course,

06:14that has been

06:15amply answered by.

06:17So the strategic clarity

06:18was in time.

06:19That is diplomatic,

06:19information,

06:20military and economic.

06:21And that's why you see

06:22that the IWT was frozen.

06:24Then high commission

06:25strength was reduced.

06:26The defense personnel

06:27were moved out.

06:27Person or non-grata

06:28they were declared.

06:30And visas were revoked.

06:34And my colleague

06:35Shivani continues

06:36to stay with us.

06:37Shivani,

06:37General Upendra Divedi

06:39also recalled

06:39how the operation

06:40was named

06:41Operation Sindhu

06:42and how he connected

06:43Sindhu to Sindhu.

06:46See, Anjali,

06:47this whole operation

06:48has been

06:49a perfect example

06:50of integration

06:51between the government,

06:54between the forces

06:55and the forces

06:56themselves.

06:57You remember,

06:58this is the operation

06:59where the Army,

06:59Navy, Air Force

07:00and all the other

07:01intelligence agencies,

07:03the ISRO

07:04in terms of

07:05the satellite inputs,

07:06they all coordinated together.

07:07And the Operation Sindhu,

07:09the name,

07:10what the chief is saying,

07:11has connected

07:11the whole nation

07:12because, you know,

07:13it all started

07:14after Pahlgaam attack

07:15and the nation

07:16was on a high emotion

07:19and that's why

07:20the Operation Sindhu

07:21name that

07:22avenged the Pahlgaam

07:24deaths was named.

07:26And he says

07:27that this was the

07:28reason why

07:29Operation Sindhu

07:30was chosen as a name

07:31because this was not

07:32an operation of the forces.

07:33This was the operation

07:34of how India

07:35retaliated and

07:36responded to terror.

07:37So this is how

07:38the details are now

07:39being divulged

07:41by the chief,

07:41Anjali.

07:42And he says

07:43that operational freedom

07:44was given,

07:45there was no pressure

07:45and it was decided

07:47by the defense minister

07:49that you go all out.

07:50They met the prime minister

07:51on 29th

07:52and once again

07:53it was reiterated

07:54that we want

07:56a very strong action

07:57against the terrorists

07:58and that's how

07:59these terror targets

08:00inside Pakistan

08:01were destroyed

08:02where more than

08:02100 terrorists

08:03were killed.

08:04Right, Shivani

08:05thank you so much

08:06for those details

08:07and for that context.

Op Sindoor was like a game of chess, we checkmated Pak: Army Chief

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