Major General Meston: India Achieved Total Victory In Operation Sindoor, Rebuts Chavan

36 minutes ago

On this India Today broadcast, Executive Editor Gaurav Sawant moderates a debate on the controversy triggered by Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan’s claim that India was ‘defeated on day one’ of Operation Sindoor. Major General (Retd) Sanjay Meston dismisses the allegation, asserting that the Indian Armed Forces achieved ‘total victory’ and ‘surprise’ over the enemy. The panel, including political analyst Sanjay Jha and Sushant Sareen, discusses the strategic strikes in Muridke and Bahawalpur, with General Meston emphasizing that ‘narratives are defined by the Indian Armed Forces’ and not by political rhetoric. The discussion also addresses the Chief of Air Staff’s confirmation of downed Pakistani jets.

Transcript

00:00Sanjay Jha, you know, day one, we've in this country, and you live in the city of Mumbai,

00:08right? We've had 2611 Mumbai terror attacks, we did not hit back. We've had 1993 terror attacks

00:14in Mumbai, serial blasts in Mumbai, we did not hit back. We've had a number of attacks. This is

00:19the first time that Pakistan was hit in Punjab province, in Muridke, in Bahawalpur. Nine terror

00:27camps destroyed, taken out, 100 plus terrorists killed. Pakistanis are crying. But then they say

00:34India ki defeat hoi, our own leaders say India was defeated on day one. Sir, how does this add up?

00:40Does Prithvirat Chavan or the Congress party not see Muridke and Bahawalpur being hit for the first

00:46time ever? Gaurav, give me again adequate time, I won't take too long. The Congress party does not

00:53have to explain to any right-wing political analyst or some sanghi sympathizers about its role in India's

01:00history. Besides the freedom struggle, decisive war victories against Pakistan in 1947, 1965 and 1971.

01:09So let me refresh that very, very, you know, COVID-driven memory. Point number two, very important

01:15that, you know, Gaurav, you know it. Heads of state have their own political roles to play.

01:22When Donald Trump goes to the United Nations, and I'm quoting Donald Trump because he's Modi's

01:28counterpart. He goes to the United Nations after making over 30, 100 statements that he brokered a

01:35ceasefire that prevented a nuclear annihilation between two countries. He said that seven big,

01:41beautiful jets were brought down. Did you hear India's prime minister contradict him? In fact,

01:47the news media is flooded. But did he say Indian jets or Pakistani jets? Why is somebody presuming

01:53it's Indian jets? Did he specify which country is jets? Because chief of air staff went on record to

01:59say that Pakistani jets were destroyed. F-16s, JF-17s, AWNC aircraft. Yeah, Gaurav, one minute,

02:06one minute. Let me explain to you. I said big, beautiful jets. I didn't say which country. It could have

02:11been three, four, or whichever country. That is not the point. The point is that the Indian government,

02:15and I've read the U.S. Congress report redacted paragraph as well. The Indian government, particularly

02:21India's prime minister, has been very, very circumspect, if not altogether silent, on taking

02:28on Mr. Donald Trump. That's exactly the reason why there is a lot of obfuscation and the narrative

02:34war has been actually dominated by Pakistan. Because the Indian prime minister has been found to be weak

02:40when he's been called to take on Donald Trump, which is the reason why there has been a lot of

02:44speculative gossip. And I think the Indian defense forces deserve better. Nobody's talking about the

02:50bravery or the capability or the success of the Indian military forces. The question is India's

02:56political masters have agreed to stand up for a country. Sir, the chief of air staff went on record.

03:00Chief of air staff, air chief marshal AP Singh, giving details of the six Pakistani jets that were

03:07downed. He said so in as many words. He's the air chief, air chief marshal AP Singh. He gave details of

03:14the longest hit that destroyed a Pakistani AWNC aircraft, airborne early warning command and control

03:21aircraft 300 kilometers away, deep inside Pakistan, the longest hit by an S-400. But then we say it's

03:27India's defeat. But the very pertinent point made by Sanjay Jha, Tuhin Sinha, is India losing the

03:34narrative war. Because even the air chief spoke months later, the narrative Pakistan ran away with

03:40it from day one saying what it said even in 1965. Incidentally, we have downed six Indian jets on day

03:46one. That's the narrative. That's the template. And BJP or the government has learned nothing

03:51from the template. You know, Gaurav, the if if the Congress party had just followed the DGMO's press

03:59conference in detail on 11th May after one day after the ceasefire, if they had followed the prime

04:04minister's address to the nation the next day on 12th May and the explainer of India's foreign secretary on

04:1118 June after Prime Minister Modi had a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, they would have no

04:18doubts about the reasons for the ceasefire and how the ceasefire happened. But the problem is this

04:23Congress party does not trust the Indian establishment, the Indian government. Rahul Gandhi did not trust

04:28it during Doklam, but instead of reaching out to the defense minister, he reached out to the Chinese

04:32embassy. They don't trust, tend to trust the Indian government. And so far, as the communication goes,

04:37you know, please understand Donald Trump has said many different things to many different countries.

04:44You know, it is for the Congress party to count how many times he said what, but these three detailed

04:50explanations were sufficient. If the Congress party, the problem with this Congress party is that it is

04:55overcome, still overcome by guilt of its inaction over the last many decades. You know, it knows that

05:01it's squandered away, gave away 40,000 square kilometers of land to China. It knows that it could not react

05:07after any of the terror attacks between 2004 to 2014. It is their guilt which makes it very difficult

05:13to accept that now we have a government which takes decisive action, which more than compensates

05:19for the enemy action. This is something which the Congress party has not been able to digest.

05:22I want to bring in General Meston and General Meston has been very patiently listening to this

05:26conversation. General, welcome. General Meston, you study military history, you analyze military

05:32operations. And in your appreciation, was Indian Air Force defeated on day one as senior Congress

05:40leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithvirat Chawad claims?

05:44I am very, very clear. Luckily, I was on Aftar channel the same very night when the operation

05:50happened. And thereafter, one was covering this in so many media channels. And I am very clear,

05:56we had a total victory. The purpose of armed forces is very, very clear. In war, there are no

06:02runners-up. And the Indian Armed Forces has given a befitting reply and a befitting message and

06:08defeat to Pakistan Armed Forces. It was very, very clear. It was seen by the entire world.

06:14Narrative building is not defined by President Trump. As it is, we have heard what his chief of

06:20staff has stated, the chief of staff of Donald Trump in the White House, what has she stated about him.

06:26So, narratives are defined by the Indian Armed Forces. And the political military objectives

06:33were established or set by the government of India, the present government of India. And

06:38that was executed in the most precise manner. Now, day one, coming on to day one's operation,

06:44I think we have executed it with such finish. There was no collateral damage. There are two wars going

06:50on today. Russia, Ukraine, and of course, Israel and Hamas is not over. We have seen the collateral

06:55damage done in these two wars. Did India do any collateral damage? No. The 100-plus terrorists

07:03were killed in the first day of strike. Successful operations, total surprise achieved over the enemy.

07:09So, I would say it was total victory. And who begged for the ceasefire? It is the Pakistan DGMO who asked

07:16for ceasefire. Yes, America was... And I will come to that in just a moment. You're absolutely

07:22right. So, you're all on day four. I'm staying on day one. When it comes to the element of surprise,

07:28Air Marshal Kapoor, let's be fair, the Chinese satellite intelligence did give a heads up to

07:35Pakistan. The information that's coming out is even when our aircraft were, you know, forming up

07:41for their strikes. The Chinese satellites were warning them, forewarning and forearming the

07:46Pakistanis. And that is why, you know, reports seem to indicate that the Pakistanis also had not to

07:54deny that India hit nine targets successfully, including Mureetke and Bahawalpur. But is there

08:01merit in the fact that Prithvirat Chawan mentions IEF was completely grounded, not a single aircraft was

08:09flying. If any aircraft had taken off from Guali or Batinda or Sirsa, there was high probability

08:15of it being shot down. How would you view this statement of Prithvirat Chawan?

08:22By saying that air operations are best left to the professionals. This discussion coming up seven

08:31months after option door is itself surprising. Absolutely surprising. If we were discussing next

08:37week after option door this discussion, it was understood. To make up an issue wherein you

08:42just cover a specific, like complete narrative after option door is India lost these many aeroplanes.

08:50Did Chinese ever say how many soldiers did they lose in Galwan? Did Americans now tell how many

08:55drones and aircraft did they lose in Yemen or Iraq strike when they came and struck? They lost.

09:01I ever covered how many aircraft have they lost in Hamas conflict or conflict with Hezbollah? No. No opposition

09:08asked ever their countrymen to show proof. If you remember chief of air staff made a statement,

09:14the ghost of Balakot has been buried. This is the statement which came a headline and you had covered the

09:20program. The ghost of Balakot is that any conflict which the Indian armed forces take, you know, any conflict,

09:26Uri, after Balakot, the proof...

09:33Surgical strike, Balakot and this. Yes. So this time the armed forces went in with proof. Every strike,

09:43every mission, every damage has been put in satellite imagery to complete world from day one. And you see,

09:53I'll give you an example of Rahim Yar Khan. Rahim Yar Khan was struck on 10th and that airfield has not

10:00come up till October. For six months to fill up a 19 feet crater in an international airfield of Pakistan

10:08which operates military flights also indicates the extent of damage that has been done. Now it is a part

10:15of tactics that after strike we disperse. So just to say that, you know, we got scared and we could

10:22not fly in my opinion is not a correct statement.

10:24Okay. Sushant Sareen, Pakistan wasn't just surprised. Pakistan was shocked it could be hit in its Punjab

10:34province because that was Pakistan's red line. Not only was Pakistan's red line crossed hitting them in

10:40Mureika and Bahawalpur. Multiple air bases from Noor Khan to Sargodha to Raheem Yar Khan to Jacob

10:48Abad to Bulari Sindh as you pointed out. They were targeted. Does that indicate India's defeat?

10:55So yeah, Gaurav, that's exactly the point I wanted to make. Look, the word that somebody who's, I don't

11:03know why he said that, but he's a former chief minister, for example, for somebody as senior as

11:09that to say that India was defeated. Now the word defeated has a certain connotation. If India was

11:16defeated and our air force was totally finished in the on the very first day in 30 minutes of conflict

11:22as Prithviraj Chawan, the great military genius after maternik seems to have discovered. Please ask him what

11:29happened two days later? The airfields that you're talking about India targeting, they were targeted

11:37by Indian aircraft. These were air to surface missiles, right? These are not fired from surface

11:44to surface. So Indian Air Force was dominating the air on the third day or the fourth day. How was that

11:50happening if India had already been defeated? If India had already been defeated on the very first day, how

11:56was Indian Air Force flying on the third and the fourth day? So yes, maybe some surprise was pulled

12:03by the Pakistanis as we pulled a surprise on them. And then we recalibrated, we understood what the,

12:11we always knew of a collusivity between China and Pakistan. But what was the extent of that if you get

12:17to go and then you recalibrate your strategy accordingly, you fix those gaps which were

12:23there, which you have now discovered, and you recoup and you regroup and you go and hit the

12:28bugger where it hurts him. What is the problem? Is that the defeat according to this great Maratha

12:34warrior? You know, there were the Marathas who went up to the attack and now you have Prithviraj Chawan.

12:39So it tells you what kind of, you know, the depths to which things have fallen.

Major General Meston: India Achieved Total Victory In Operation Sindoor, Rebuts Chavan

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