Congress Calls For Comprehensive Operation Sindoor Review After Ex-CDS Remarks

The Congress on Wednesday called for a structured and comprehensive review of Operation Sindoor, citing what it described as "headline-grabbing revelations" by former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan about the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh argued that public comments about operational details should not replace a formal assessment of the military operation.

Ramesh's remarks came a day after Chauhan discussed aspects of Operation Sindoor, including the circumstances surrounding Kirana Hills in Pakistan. The former CDS clarified that Indian forces had not deliberately targeted Kirana Hills, which has been linked in reports to a nuclear facility. He explained that several loitering munitions were directed towards Sargodha and one may have lost its running capability before coming down on a hill.

The Congress leader also referred to earlier remarks made by Chauhan in Singapore in May 2025. Ramesh argued that the repeated disclosures warranted a formal examination of the operation. He pointed to the Kargil Review Committee, established by the Vajpayee government after the 1999 Kargil War, as an example of a structured review of military and security developments.

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According to Ramesh, such a review would allow the government and Parliament to assess the decisions, operational outcomes and lessons emerging from Operation Sindoor. He maintained that statements made through interviews and public lectures, whether deliberate or otherwise, should not be treated as a substitute for a comprehensive institutional assessment.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in May 2025 following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Indian forces struck nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with the government reporting that more than 100 terrorists were killed. The subsequent military confrontation involved strikes against and by both countries before a ceasefire was reached.

Chauhan's latest clarification has also drawn attention because of earlier reports linking the Sargodha airbase area with an underground nuclear storage facility in the Kirana Hills region. He backed a previous statement by Air Marshal A K Bharti, then Director General of Air Operations, that Indian forces had not targeted Kirana Hills. Against this backdrop, the Congress is seeking a formal review to examine the operation and the lessons arising from it.

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