Deterrence is India’s Response to Terrorism
A heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22nd April 2025 invoked a fierce and decisive response from India. The terrorist attack was especially provocative because it targeted specifically Hindu men and executed them at point-blank range.
On the 7th of May, in Operation Sindoor, India struck nine terrorist sites, in which over 100 terrorists were killed, including a few senior leaders. India used a mix of long-range stand-off weapons, including air-launched missiles and loitering munitions, to target nine sites belonging to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). However, Pakistan sided with the terrorists and responded against the Indian military and civilians with long-range guns and drones. In retaliation, the punitive missile attack by India intensified on May 9 and 10 against key Pakistan Air Force bases. On the other hand, the Pakistan counter-offensive operation “Bunyan Marsoos” was effectively thwarted.
Pakistan was unable to hit valuable targets with drones and missiles because of the efficacy of India's Integrated Air Command and Control Systems. Pakistan launched drones (Turkish-origin YIHA and Songar) and missiles (ex., Chinese origin P-15 air-to-air) which could not penetrate the Indian layered systems. India's first Layer is counter-Drone & MANPADS at the International Border. For the second Layer, it is Point Air Defence & Short-Range Surface to Air Missiles. In the third Layer, medium-range surface-to-air missiles are operational. While the Long-Range Surface to Air Missiles work for the fourth layer. Akash and S-400 missile systems coordinated, providing a strong shield against various aerial threats. The S-400, a long-range surface-to-air missile system, forms the outer layer, capable of detecting and engaging targets at a distance of 380 km. The Akash, a medium-range missile system, complements the S-400 by intercepting threats within 25 Km. These are well supported by the Spyder, which protects at a 15 Km range.
For India, Operation Sindoor represents an important evolution in its military strategy against Pakistan, shifting progressively from the issuance of threats to change Pakistani behaviour to the direct imposition of costs to degrade terrorists’ capacity. This new cost-imposition strategy has a compelling logic. India chose not to mobilise its large ground formations, which is costly and also adversely affects business sentiments. The Integrated battle groups, if committed to an offensive, could not be easily dialled back, making crisis resolution or war termination more difficult. In contrast, missiles and drones are quicker to launch and successive waves of sorties can be ratcheted up or down, giving national leaders flexibility to escalate or de-escalate as required. The onus of prolonging or escalating the engagement was squarely with Pakistan. And when Pakistan suffered heavy losses, it asked for a ceasefire.
India cannot dissuade the Pakistani establishment from its campaign of terrorism. The current strategy of India is to materially degrade the adversary, keep it on the defensive, and thereby thwart its offensive power against India. If India can effectively degrade the enemy, meaning both the terrorist networks and their Army backers, then future attacks may at least be less destructive and less frequent. Thus, India chose to retaliate swiftly and heavily at a time and place for minimum collateral damage.
The evolution of India’s military responses was crystallised by our PM that henceforth India would by default respond militarily to terrorism, that Pakistan’s nuclear threats would not deter India, and that India would consider both terrorists and their military backers to be equivalent. The groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed will now have to spend energy and resources to reconstitute their ranks and develop new hidden facilities. They will have to devote a share of their work to defensive preparations, possibly taking resources away from planning operations in India. The terrorists are indeed well known to vacate their “launchpads” and Madrasas in anticipation of possible Indian action. However, running away will tear their veil of bravado and lower their reputation. In addition to this cost-imposition strategy as a primary counter-terrorism tool, India may have — allegedly — already implemented a spate of assassinations, at the hands of “unknown gunmen”. India has also expanded its peacetime intelligence operations and support to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in their aims to bleed Pakistan through subversive attacks. To this baseline level of disruption, India may now add occasional large-scale direct military action to impose costs on the adversary and keep them on tenterhooks.
India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty. The Indus water will be controlled by India, and the warning that the water in the Indus River is released will not be provided to Pakistan. The fear of an impending water shortage or floods will cause panic in the general public in Pakistan. It will also ensure that they distance themselves from the terror sympathisers.
Social Obligation of Indians: Indians stood unitedly with the government's action against the terrorists and their supporters in Pakistan. However, some public figures and politicians gave statements that supported Pakistan’s propaganda on international platforms. Do not repost anything from Indians or any other nation that questions or demands proof of action by the Indian Armed Forces. We need to boycott such public figures and politicians on social media and in polls. Boycott Chinese products, and tourism to countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Maldives, etc., because these countries support Pakistan.
In addition to using coercive leverage such as the deft regional diplomacy to isolate Pakistan, and international coordination against terrorist financing.
Conclusion: India has proven that it is well armed and prepared to inflict pain and damage on the terrorists and those who support them beyond our borders.