New Delhi: Retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra claimed that Pakistan deployed spies and even activated sleeper cells within India during Operation Sindoor to track down the locations of India’s Russian-made S-400 air defence systems. During an interview with ANI, the former Inidan Air Force (IAF) officer stated that the S-400 played a critical role in the operation.
The Russian-made S-400 air defence system kept Pakistani fighter jets from approaching within 200 kilometres of India’s border during Operation Sindoor, he claimed. Notably, Air Marshal (retd.) Mishra was the commander of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command during the operation.
“Pakistanis were desperate to find where these S-400s were. They used every available means. They were also getting satellite help from other nations. Every time they (Pakistan) got airborne, they were shot by an S-400. The S-400 was the biggest threat as far as they were concerned,” MIshra told the news agency.
“They also activated spies and sleeper cells within India to find out where the S-400s were located,” he added. However, the former IAF officer did not mention the names of the nations from where Pakistan got satellite help. He also said that the Adampur Air Force Station was even targeted, as Pakistan believed that S-400s were deployed there.
Notably, S-400s are referred to as “Sudarshan Chakra” because of their efficiency in destroying aerial threats.
Mishra also underscored the BrahMos missile’s capabilities, calling it one of India’s most successful indigenously developed weapons.
“In our self-reliance push, BrahMos is a major push. The most successful indigenous missile. After Op Sindoor, a lot of other nations were trying to buy it,” he said.
As part of Operation Sindoor, India carried out airstrikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating at least 100 terrorists.
The strikes at the terror camps included the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters at Bahawalpur, the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base at Muridke and terrorist infrastructure in Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal.
The action triggered a rapid escalation in tensions with Pakistan launching retaliatory strikes on military and civilian sites, which were thwarted by the Indian military.
The hostilities ended with an understanding on halting the military actions on May 10 following talks over the hotline between army officials of the two sides.