Operation Sindoor: India faced 3 enemies, not just Pakistan — Army says

India confronted not just Pakistan, but three adversaries during Operation Sindoor, the intense four-day military engagement held between May 7 and 10, according to Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance).

In a significant revelation, Lt. Gen. Singh stated on Friday that China and Turkey actively supported Pakistan, transforming what was perceived as a bilateral conflict into a multi-front threat. He highlighted that Beijing treated the standoff as a "live lab" to test the performance of Chinese-supplied weapons and systems used by Pakistan.

“China was providing real-time intelligence to Pakistan about our weapon deployment,” Singh said, underlining the growing complexity of regional geopolitics and the strategic coordination between India’s adversaries.

Singh accused China of following a strategy of "killing with a borrowed knife", using Pakistan as a proxy to undermine Indian military preparedness while keeping its direct involvement concealed.

On the other front, Turkey's support to Islamabad during the operation—though not detailed—has also raised alarms in India’s defense establishment about increasing military and intelligence cooperation among hostile nations.

Why Pakistan Backed Off

Speaking on the eventual Pakistani request for a ceasefire, Singh pointed out that the Indian Army’s hidden capabilities and strong counter-offensive preparations made Islamabad reconsider its escalation.

“There was a punch that was ready, and they realised that if the hidden punch comes through, Pakistan would be in a very, very bad condition,” Singh noted, indicating India’s growing strategic posture under the current government.

This is one of the most candid acknowledgments from the Indian military that multi-nation coordination exists against India in the region, and that traditional two-party confrontations may no longer reflect the true complexity of future warfare scenarios.

Lessons for India

Lt. Gen. Singh emphasized that Operation Sindoor has provided key lessons for improving India’s defense readiness and underlined the need for technological upgrades, real-time battlefield intelligence, and rapid deployment capabilities to counter multi-front threats.

This disclosure comes at a time when India is recalibrating its defense doctrine to address challenges not just from its western borders, but also the possibility of simultaneous conflict on the northern and other strategic fronts.