India Won the War but Lost the Narrative: Brahma Chellaney on Operation Sindoor

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi – In a sharp critique of India's handling of the post-conflict narrative, leading geostrategist Brahma Chellaney has said that while India’s Operation Sindoor achieved a tactical military victory over Pakistan, the country failed to effectively manage the international perception of the conflict. This allowed the United States to claim credit for brokering the ceasefire, despite the Indian military’s decisive and precise strikes.

In an interaction with India Today, Chellaney said that India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, in direct retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian soldiers. The Indian Air Force targeted nine terror camps and multiple Pakistani airbases, including Nur Khan and Bholari, exposing key vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s air defences, many of which are Chinese-made.

The operation, lasting four days, was carefully calibrated to avoid full-scale war. However, Chellaney criticised India's delayed diplomatic outreach, which he said weakened its strategic standing globally, even as Pakistan scrambled to respond militarily between May 8 and 10.

"India’s sluggish response time in shaping the global narrative has cost it diplomatic capital," Chellaney said. "The US President claimed credit for brokering peace, and by the time India issued a rebuttal, the international community had already accepted that version of events."

He argued that India’s victory in the air did not translate to a win in the information war. “We imposed costs on Pakistan without triggering escalation, yet failed to project our success in a way that would serve long-term diplomatic goals,” he noted.

A particularly poignant element of the campaign was the symbolism surrounding Indian women in uniform leading the retaliation, representing the widows of the fallen soldiers. But Chellaney pointed out that this powerful imagery was not supported by a robust international media and diplomatic offensive.

“There was a moment to capitalise on the emotional and strategic impact of the strikes,” he said. “But instead of leveraging that symbolism, India’s response followed the usual bureaucratic rhythm — reactive and delayed.”

According to Chellaney, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s ceasefire announcement on May 10 came too late to challenge the already-set narrative. He questioned the efficacy of sending parliamentary delegations abroad to counter Pakistan’s claims, saying the time for narrative control had passed. “What can delegations of MPs do now, when the world has already made up its mind?” he asked.