Pakistan requested ceasefire ‘in less than 50 weapons’ fired by India: IAF on Op Sindoor

Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari on Saturday said that fewer than 50 weapons were used by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor to strike Pakistani military positions, a limited but decisive action that forced Islamabad to seek an end to hostilities by midday on May 10.

Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit, Tiwari described the outcome as a significant achievement, noting that “with less than 50 weapons, we were able to achieve conflict elimination.” He added that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had established “complete domination” over Pakistan’s military following its attack on the night of May 9–10.

Tiwari, who played a key role in the operation, pointed out that some targets destroyed in the strikes had not been hit even during the 1971 war. “We made every weapon count, and that is a tacit acknowledgement of the capability of our planners and the people who executed the missions,” he said.

The Air Marshal credited the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) for underpinning both offensive and defensive operations, enabling India to withstand initial strikes and deliver what he described as a “hard-hitting reply” that pushed Pakistan towards de-escalation.

He further outlined New Delhi’s directives guiding the response: every action had to be visibly punitive, the message delivered should deter future attacks, and the armed forces were to be granted full operational freedom while preparing for the risk of escalation into a conventional war.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territories. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes before both sides agreed to halt military actions on May 10.