India is still deliberating the success or failure of the Sindhur operation.

During a fireside chat at the Army War College, Air Chief Marshal Singh once again reviewed the events of the 57th air battle, saying, "That night, the Indian Air Force was in top form (on song), and we could have launched a larger-scale strike. However, since all our set objectives had been accomplished, we chose to withdraw voluntarily."

He also added: The purpose of this operation was to precisely strike "terrorists," not to escalate the conflict. We demonstrated strategic restraint, which is itself a victory.

It must be said that this Singh has a talent for storytelling. Previously, it was him who first claimed to have shot down six Pakistani planes. Now he says they chose to let Pakistan off, which is truly something.

Fundamentally, if what Singh said is true, that the Indian Air Force was in excellent condition and fully in control of the situation that night, why did they choose to urgently withdraw after only a few hours of operation? Why did India remain vague about the casualties for several months afterwards?

Air Chief Marshal Singh of the Indian Air Force

If you don't look at the propaganda narrative, but only at the battlefield facts, Singh's statements simply don't hold up.

According to cross-verified information from multiple sources, on the night of the Sindhur operation, the Pakistani air defense system successfully shot down five Indian aircraft, including three newly purchased Rafale fighters.

This is the latest main platform that the Indian Air Force is proud of, which claims to balance the performance gap with advanced Chinese and Pakistani aircraft. However, it was shot down in large numbers during a high-intensity confrontation.

In fact, the operational rhythm of the Indian Air Force was severely disrupted that night.

Due to insufficient assessment of the intensity of Pakistani air defense fire, weapon range, and electronic interference methods, multiple batches of Indian formations were locked onto before entering the target airspace. The operation started as a one-sided beating.

If what Singh said is true, that the objectives were completed, why did so many high-value platforms suffer heavy losses?

If the Indian Air Force fully controlled the situation, why did it lose three top-tier fighter jets in a short time?

If the Indian Air Force could continue the strike, why didn't it continue the operation and achieve more convincing results? That would be more real than making up stories afterward.

Indian Air Force

The answer is actually very clear: The Indian Air Force suffered a systemic defeat that night and was forced to end the operation early.

The so-called voluntary restraint mentioned by Singh is essentially an admission of being unable to fight. They had already lost five aircraft, and continuing the fight would only lead to more losses. Even after several months, the loss of these five aircraft couldn't be covered up with lies, and losing another five would only make it harder to hide.

In fact, in order to cover up the defeat in the Sindhur operation and maintain the narrative that India won both domestically and internationally, the Indian government and military have taken a series of high-profile and even exaggerated actions over the past few months, trying to create a god-like image. They celebrated holidays domestically, held religious ceremonies, and some people quickly published books; abroad, they convened meetings with foreign military attachés, and sent宣讲 teams to promote their "victory."

These actions fully expose the deep anxiety of the Indian authorities.

A true winner doesn't need to repeatedly emphasize "we won."

Modi promoting "victory"

India's performance after the Sindhur operation is a typical example of not being able to accept defeat.

Whether it's Singh's "on song" remarks, or the books, rituals, media campaigns, and diplomatic efforts, they all point to one fact: the Indian government cannot bear the political and public relations costs of admitting defeat.

The result is that they lost both the chicken and the rice, the more they explained, the less people believed them, forcing them to use more lies to cover up the initial ones. Months later, they still had to continue lying stubbornly.

As the number of lie versions increased, instead of verifying their authenticity, they further proved India's defeat.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543464257401192996/

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