Former CDS General Anil Chauhan discusses Pakistan's failed attempts to verify Operation Sindoor strikes

New Delhi: Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said that Pakistan was unable to obtain evidence of targets being hit during Operation Sindoor despite attempting to access commercial satellite imagery, including from Chinese satellite companies.

Addressing the 'VIMARSH' event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation on Tuesday, General Chauhan said commercial satellite imagery is available to anyone and is provided by companies in both the US and China, but obtaining such imagery is subject to contracts, payments and waiting periods.

"But the fact is that they're not able to hit targets. They did, of course, try," General Chauhan said.

"Commercial satellites images of Chinese are available to anyone. Anyone can buy. It's not that Pakistanis only," he said. Explaining the availability of commercial satellite imagery, the former CDS said that several US and Chinese companies provide such services.

"Commercial satellite facilities are available from a number of US companies and similarly today there are number of Chinese companies also in the field which provide you commercial images," General Chauhan said.

He said that such imagery is not necessarily available immediately, as access depends on contractual arrangements and payment models.

"There's always a waiting period, and you know based on your contracts. It's not that immediately things are available. You've done a contract, they give you those kind of images on a particular payment under different models," he said.

General Chauhan said Pakistan was "blind" about the results of its strikes and subsequently attempted to obtain satellite imagery to establish whether its attacks had caused damage.

"I think Pakistan felt that when I said that they were blind and you know they did not know the results of their strikes," the former CDS said.

"They were actually after 10th also till about 12th they were trying their best to obtain images so that they have some evidence of some target with their head," he added.

General Chauhan further said that Pakistan tried to access imagery from other Chinese satellites after failing to obtain evidence, but could not establish that its strikes had hit targets.

"But unfortunately, once they did not get, they tried other Chinese satellites also. But since they are not able to hit any target, they got no evidence," General Chauhan said.

He added that the absence of evidence led to speculation within Pakistan that information may have been withheld from it.

"But it created doubt in their mind after this also that you know people have maybe hidden this fact from them because of Indian insistence, so every kind of a theory there," he said.

The remarks come in the context of Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

India said Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).