From Kargil to Pahalgam

India commemorates the 26th anniversary of the Kargil War (July 26, 1999), coinciding with the recent counter-terrorism operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack (April–May 2025).

Kargil War: The Turning Point in India's Conventional Security Doctrine

• War Under a Nuclear Overhang: The Kargil conflict was the first military engagement between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan post-1998 tests, demonstrating the feasibility of limited war under nuclear deterrence.
• Structural and Intelligence Reforms Post-Kargil: The Kargil Review Committee led to key institutional reforms including the establishment of the Defence Intelligence Agency (2002), NTRO (2004), and permanent National Security Adviser (NSA) position.
• Modernisation and Doctrinal Shift: India’s Cold Start Doctrine evolved post-Kargil to enable rapid and calibrated military responses, while significant attention was given to mountain warfare capabilities and jointness across the tri-services.

India's Long and Evolving Fight Against Terrorism

• Initial Years of Restraint: Despite major terror incidents such as the IC-814 hijacking (1999), Parliament attack (2001), and 26/11 (2008), India refrained from direct retaliatory action against Pakistan.
• Policy Shift Post-2016: Following the Uri attack, India conducted cross-border surgical strikes (2016) and later, the Balakot airstrike (2019) after the Pulwama attack, marking a decisive shift in counter-terrorism posture.
• Operationalisation of Deterrence Doctrine: The post-2016 era has witnessed the translation of political intent into calibrated military responses, setting new precedents for preemptive and punitive actions against cross-border terror infrastructure.

Operation Sindoor (2025): A Strategic Watershed in Counter-Terrorism

• Retaliatory Precision Strikes: After the Pahalgam attack (April 2025) that killed 26 tourists, India launched Operation Sindoor (May 7–10), targeting nine terror bases and eleven Pakistani military airbases within 96 hours.
• Targeting Pakistan’s Strategic Depth: Strikes reportedly included the BrahMos missile attack on Nur Khan Base near Kirana Hills, potentially disabling a major nuclear storage site, showcasing India’s enhanced strike capabilities.
• Doctrinal Maturity and Technological Leap: Operation Sindoor underscores the successful integration of high-end platforms like BrahMos, Rafale, Apache, and S-400, aligned with India’s ‘Make in India’ self-reliance initiative in defence.

Practice Question

"Kargil was a wake-up call, while Pahalgam has been a statement of strategic resolve." In the light of this statement, critically examine the evolution of India’s conventional and counter-terrorism military doctrines since 1999.  (250 words)