DGMO Rajiv Ghai reveals over 100 Pakistani soldiers killed in Op Sindoor, says 'Had the enemy decided to take it any further...'

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai said on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) that India’s targeted operations along the Line of Control (LoC) after the Pahalgam terror attack resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Pakistani soldiers. He described the response as swift, precise and strategic, a demonstration of the evolving doctrine of India that integrates precision strike with diplomatic and economic leverage.

Addressing the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries (UNTCC) conclave at Manekshaw Centre in Delhi, Lt. Gen. Ghai stated that India's retaliation to the terror strike was “targeted, controlled, and non-escalatory”, according to a report by The Hindu.

He added that Pakistan’s own disclosures confirmed the scale of its losses. “Their awards list, released on August 14, shows a large number of posthumous gallantry medals. That tells us their casualties on the LoC were in excess of 100,” he noted. “We hit nine targets across the breadth of Pakistan. This was a fusion of military precision and diplomatic agility, informational superiority and economic leverage,” he said.

Ghai added that India had placed the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 into abeyance soon after the attack as part of a broader coercive strategy. The DGMO also disclosed that strikes by India were executed with complete awareness of potential Pakistani retaliation.

Lt. Gen. says perpetrators tracked down and eliminated within 96 days

“It’s naive to think the Indian Army would go into this kind of action without preparing for contingencies. We had wargamed four to five steps ahead,” he said. Ghai explained that Indian forces responded by hitting secondary targets on the LoC after anticipating the cross-border firing by Pakistan.

He said the operations compelled Pakistan to seek a cessation of hostilities in less than four days — a testament to the effectiveness and decisiveness of India’s retaliatory actions. “It took 88 hours for the enemy to come and ask for a halt. We achieved our political and military aims,” he stated.

Emphasising the Indian Navy's preparedness, Lt. Gen. Ghai added that naval forces were “well poised in the Arabian Sea” throughout the operations, ready to widen the scope of engagement if necessary. “Had the enemy decided to take it any further, it could have been catastrophic for them — not only from the sea but from other dimensions,” he stated.

Describing the end of the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack as “clinical", he confirmed that they were tracked down and eliminated within 96 days. “They were exhausted from running and appeared malnourished when found. Justice was served,” he said, and added that the Home Minister had already informed Parliament of their elimination.