Pakistan’s retaliation to India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor is expected to be symbolic rather than significant, given its constrained military, diplomatic and financial capabilities, defence expert Brigadier (retd) Govind Sisodiya said in an interview with ANI.
He also directed Pakistan to avoid escalation and cooperate with India by extraditing perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and other terrorists to demonstrate a commitment to regional stability.
"It will be in the interest of Pakistan not to pursue this further and cooperate with India... It will be good for Pakistan to return the accused of the 26/11 attacks and other terrorists... Otherwise, Pakistan will cease to exist," he stated.
Sisodiya, who led NSG operations during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, told ANI that Pakistan’s response to India’s Operation Sindoor strikes will be limited, stating: “Pakistan will retaliate but it will be a symbolic one to show their people that they have taken action… Pakistan is not in such a situation that it can fight India nor does it have that much strength. Be it in military power, diplomatic power or financial power.”
As per Sisodiya, Operation Sindoor was a predictable and precise response to the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting only terrorist infrastructure. “The bombing that took place was on an expected line, since India had warned the world and Pakistan that we would respond firmly, and we did… We also took care not to attack any civilian or military objectives. It is now up to Pakistan to decide how to handle this. It would also be foolhardy for Pakistan to attack back,” he stated.
Operation Sindoor
In response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May 2025, targeting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) from where “terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”
In the early hours of 7 May, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement:
“The Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine sites have been targeted.”
India’s precision strikes targeted terror hubs in Muridke, Kotli, Muzaffarabad and Bahawalpur, resulting in eight deaths and over 35 injuries, according to Indian reports.
The targets included Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru and Muridke across the international border in Pakistan, and five sites across the Line of Control in PoJK, such as Kotli and Muzaffarabad.
Muridke serves as the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), led by Hafiz Saeed, while Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province is the base of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), headed by Masood Azhar.
The strikes utilised precision-guided munitions and kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions, which home in on targets and detonate explosive warheads upon impact, ensuring minimal collateral damage.
