In a symbolic and defiant move, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Adampur Airbase in Punjab on May 13, 2025, to personally congratulate the Indian Air Force for its role in Operation Sindoor. 

Flanked by Indian pilots and active defence systems, the Prime Minister praised their bravery and performance. “Despite Pakistan’s many efforts, our airbases and infrastructure remain untouched. The credit for that goes to each one of you,” he said.

Hours before the Prime Minister’s speech, Pakistani Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed claimed in a press conference that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had successfully identified and struck India’s S-400 system at Adampur. “Attacking them is the easy part,” Vice Marshal Ahmed said. “Identifying them on the ground is the real challenge.” Citing satellite imagery, radar tracking, and “niche technologies,” he claimed that Adampur had been targeted and damaged.

In his address to soldiers and officers, the Prime Minister said, “From this land of heroes, today I salute all the brave soldiers of the Air Force, Navy, and Army, our brave soldiers of the BSF.” Modi hailed the operation as a joint effort executed with courage, restraint, and flawless coordination. “Every Indian today is proud, grateful, and indebted to you,” he declared, evoking loud chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai!” (Hail Mother India!). 

He further underscored that the operation was not only military in nature; it represented a convergence of India’s policy, intent, and clarity of action. “This is the land of Buddha as well as Guru Gobind Singh,” he reminded the gathered soldiers. 

Quoting Guru Gobind Singh, he said: “Sawa lakh se ek ladaaun, chiriyan te mein baaz tudaun, tabhi Gobind Singh naam kahaun” (Let me fight 125,000 alone, let me make hawks fight the sparrows; only then may I be called Gobind Singh). Modi positioned India’s retaliation as both spiritual and strategic.

His speech also praised the layered strength of India’s air defence, from battle-tested systems to modern Made-in-India platforms like Akash, alongside advanced Russian S-400, calling them the new identity of India’s security shield.

This assessment was echoed by India’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who, in a detailed press briefing, underlined that India’s decisive military action was the key reason behind the cessation of hostilities. 

“In fact,” he said, “early on the morning of May 10, we mounted an extremely effective attack on key Pakistani Air Force bases. That was the reason they were now willing to stop fighting and military action. Let me be clear — it was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to stop its firing.”

“With regard to conversations with other nations, the message from India was clear and consistent: the same message that was conveyed from public platforms was also conveyed in private conversations,” added Jaiswal. “India was responding to the terrorist attack of April 22 by targeting the terrorist infrastructure. However, if the Pakistani armed forces fire, Indian armed forces will fire back. If Pakistan stops, India will also stop.”

He confirmed that the understanding on cessation of hostilities was reached between the DGMOs of both countries during a call that commenced at 15:35 hours on May 10, 2025. “This was a military decision, brought about by ground realities,” he added.

Most critically, the Foreign Ministry categorically dismissed speculation that trade or economic concessions were discussed in any diplomatic backchannel. “From the commencement of Operation Sindoor on May 7 to the understanding of cessation of fire on May 10, there were indeed conversations between Indian and US leaders. However, the issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” Jaiswal clarified.

Analysts echoed similar views, with military historian Tom Cooper noting that Pakistan’s attempted response using UAVs and missiles failed due to India’s strong air defences. He added that India struck with precision and confidence, having effectively disabled Pakistan’s ability to hit back. From this viewpoint, Cooper concluded, “it is a clear-cut victory for India.” 

Similarly, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, John Spencer, observed: “Pakistan launched drone attacks targeting both military and civilian sites, but India’s formidable air defence system successfully intercepted all of them, leaving no impact on the intended targets. In contrast, India retaliated with precision, striking key Pakistani military sites at will, with near 100 per cent effectiveness.”

According to Spencer, Operation Sindoor marks a turning point in India’s national security doctrine. This evolving posture was echoed in Prime Minister Modi’s declaration during his speech:

• Any terror attack on India will invite a response on India’s terms.
• India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail.
• Those who shelter terrorists will be treated as one with the terrorists.

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