Newly declassified accounts of Operation Sindoor have shed fresh light on the events surrounding the April 22, 2026, terrorist attack in Pahalgam, including the circumstances preceding the assault, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's immediate response and the decisions that eventually led to India's retaliatory military operation.
According to National Security Analyst Nitin Gokhale, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir had made remarks about the differences between India and Pakistan in a speech to the NRP (Non-Resident Pakistanis) and investors around a fortnight before the attack. Gokhale said Munir's remarks amounted to provoking terrorist organisations and came against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the two countries.
Gokhale described the Pahalgam attack as a carefully planned operation aimed at achieving multiple strategic objectives. These, he said, included creating a communal divide in India, undermining Kashmir's growing tourism-driven economy and encouraging more local recruitment for terrorist organisations.
Military alerted as attack unfolds
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, who was serving as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) during Operation Sindoor, recalled receiving a call from the Corps Commander in Kashmir informing him that something had happened in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam.
Ghai said he immediately understood that the incident was different from a routine terrorist attack.
The attack occurred on April 22 while Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi was attending a seminar for retiring officers. According to the declassified account, the DGMO discreetly informed the Army Chief about the attack.
The Army immediately mobilised a nearby unit along with a Quick Reaction Team to reach the site. However, the lack of a proper motorable road connecting Pahalgam with Baisaran meant that the troops had to cover the final stretch on foot, a journey that took approximately 30–40 minutes.
As the soldiers approached the site, the scale of the massacre became apparent. The commanding officer of an infantry battalion recalled finding "dead bodies" scattered across the area.
The DGMO also said civilians were deliberately killed using automatic weapons, including AK-47 rifles.
Gokhale said the nature of the attack differed from previous terrorist strikes, in which militants generally killed people indiscriminately. "The attackers in Pahalgam identified victims based on their religion and specifically targeted Hindu men," he added.
Doval recalls Modi's immediate reaction
The attack took place while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on an official visit. According to NSA Ajit Doval, Modi was informed about the incident by a member of the Special Protection Group (SPG), even before Doval himself could brief him.
Doval recalled that the Prime Minister appeared unusually serious after learning about the attack.
"He was quite serious. Normally he is quite calm, and under difficult circumstances I have never seen him ruffled up," Doval said.
According to Doval, Modi immediately recognised the need for a response and said, "Yeh bura hua aur hume pratikar karna padega (We will have to take suitable and proportionate actions," Doval recalled the Prime Minister saying.
Modi subsequently met the Saudi leadership during his visit before cutting short his programme and returning to India. Upon his arrival, he was briefed by senior officials of the Government of India on the situation.
Doval recalled that the Prime Minister's immediate priority was to establish who was behind the attack.
"He wanted to know all the facts. His first question to me was: who has done it? Who is responsible? I want to know immediately," Doval recalled the Prime Minister saying.
According to Doval, India's intelligence capabilities helped authorities identify those responsible relatively quickly. Investigators were able to draw important leads from communication equipment allegedly left behind at the attack site.
"It was mainly due to communication equipment that they had left at the site. It carried their route, communication with their handler in Pakistan and amongst themselves," Doval recalled.
PM Modi sought 'big, impactful' response
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said the Prime Minister had made it clear that India's response needed to be substantial and consequential. According to Singh, Modi wanted any action taken by India to have a lasting impact and send a strong message to Pakistan.
The developments culminated in a series of high-level deliberations over India's response to the attack.
At the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting held on April 24, India decided to scrap the Indus Water Treaty, marking one of the major measures announced in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
Attack set stage for Operation Sindoor
The declassified accounts offer an insight into how India's military and political leadership assessed the Pahalgam attack in its immediate aftermath and moved towards a response.
For the security establishment, the attack was viewed not merely as another terrorist strike but as an operation with broader strategic objectives, including attempts to inflame communal tensions, disrupt Kashmir's tourism economy and strengthen terrorist recruitment.
The accounts also provide a glimpse into the decision-making process involving the Prime Minister, NSA, military leadership and intelligence agencies in the days following the attack.
These developments ultimately formed part of the backdrop to Operation Sindoor, India's retaliatory military response, and reveal how the government assessed the attack, identified those responsible and determined the scale and nature of its response.
