Former Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on Thursday took a swipe at Asim Munir, who was promoted shortly after Operation Sindoor, saying India looks at the process with “some kind of amusement”.
Ghai was speaking on the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, where India struck terror and military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in May last year.
“About Field Marshal Munir promoting himself, what can I say. That is for them to answer. We have looked at that process with some kind of amusement,” Ghai told a briefing in Jaipur.
The Pakistan government had promoted General Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal days after Operation Sindoor for his role in the military operations.
The reason, Pakistan claimed, was “for ensuring the security of the country and defeating the enemy based on the high strategy and courageous leadership during Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.”
Munir became the first Pakistani military officer to hold the rank since 1959, when Ayub Khan, the country’s first military dictator, declared himself a field marshal.
Lieutenant General Ghai also said that Pakistan “requested India to stop” during Operation Sindoor. He added India carried out a calibrated and precise response, achieving its goals and avoiding a prolonged conflict.
What happened during Operation Sindoor
During Operation Sindoor, that began in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror strike, India struck deep into Pakistani territory in a coordinated operation, targeting nine high-value terrorist launch pads across Pakistan and PoK, dismantling terror bases.
Critical installations, including the Nur Khan and Sargodha airbases, were hit, conveying that no terrorist sanctuary in Pakistan was beyond reach.
Over 100 terrorists were eliminated, including Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf, and Mudassir Ahmad.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, said Indian forces “destroyed 13 Pakistani aircraft” and struck “11 airfields” during the strikes.
“We struck and decimated their 9 terrorist camps on 7th May. The proof is there for everybody to see. We struck 11 of their airfields. We destroyed 13 of their aircraft either on the ground or in the air, including one high-value airborne asset at a record distance of 300 kilometres plus,” Awadhesh Kumar Bharti said.
