Context:
- Operation Sindoor (May 7) was India’s retaliatory military strike following the Pahalgam terror attack (April 22).
- While tactically successful, the operation has triggered debate on its long-term strategic effectiveness.
- The discussion highlights the need to reassess India’s counter-terrorism doctrine, especially in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), beyond immediate military retaliation.
Key Highlights:
Operation Sindoor & Tactical Assessment
- Demonstrated India’s swift kinetic response capability.
- Reinforced deterrence signalling against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
- However, questions persist on whether such strikes degrade terror ecosystems sustainably.
Local vs Foreign Terrorism Nexus
- Since 1989, J&K witnessed a shift from local insurgency to foreign-sponsored terrorism.
- Despite this shift, internal vulnerabilities—identity politics, alienation, and disenfranchisement—remain critical drivers.
- Post-Pahalgam investigations revealed local facilitators with direct foreign links, underscoring the hybrid nature of the threat.
Limits of Military Deterrence
- Past kinetic actions:
- Surgical Strikes (2016)
- Balakot Air Strikes (2019)
- Operation Sindoor (2024)
- Despite these, Pakistan’s proxy war infrastructure persists.
- SATP data indicates a rise in India’s terror fatality index, suggesting partial deterrence.
Strategic Blind Spots
- Excessive focus on foreign policy signalling and military retaliation overshadows internal dimensions of terrorism.
- The real conflict lies with the radicalisation ecosystem, not just state sponsors.
- Internationalising the issue alone does not address grassroots radicalisation.
Beyond Kinetic Responses
- Bipartisan public outrage post-Pahalgam presents an opportunity for strategic consolidation.
- Emphasis needed on:
- Revival of HUMINT networks
- Economic development and employment
- Socio-political integration and civil engagement
Structural & Psychological Warfare
- Pakistan’s internal political-military dynamics, including military nationalism, sustain proxy strategies.
- India must avoid allowing short-term tactical gains to obscure the long-term ideological and social battle.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue & Causes
- Terrorism in J&K driven by external sponsorship and internal alienation.
- Weak socio-political integration fuels local recruitment and facilitation.
- Government Initiatives
- Counter-terror operations and integrated security grid
- Developmental outreach and governance reforms in J&K
- Intelligence coordination and border management
- Benefits
- Kinetic actions impose costs on terror infrastructure.
- Public unity strengthens national resolve against terrorism.
- Challenges
- Overreliance on military tools
- Weak HUMINT penetration
- Persistent radical narratives
- Impact
- Highlights need for multi-layered counter-terrorism strategy.
- Reinforces terrorism as both internal security and governance challenge.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Key Concepts & Definitions
- Kinetic Operations: Use of military force such as strikes and gunfights to neutralise threats.
- HUMINT (Human Intelligence): Intelligence from human sources, crucial for detecting local radicalisation and facilitation.
- SATP Data: Analytical resource for tracking terrorism trends in South Asia.
- Static & Conceptual Linkages
- GS Paper III: Internal Security, Terrorism, Intelligence Reforms
- GS Paper II: Governance, Federalism, Civil Engagement
- GS Paper II (IR): India–Pakistan Relations, Cross-Border Terrorism
- Way Forward
- Adopt a comprehensive counter-terrorism framework blending military, intelligence, diplomacy, and development.
- Strengthen people-centric governance and political inclusion in J&K.
- Invest in HUMINT revival and counter-radicalisation narratives.
Maintain strategic patience while addressing root causes of extremism.