SOURCE: AFI
Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, delivered a powerful statement during two seminars hosted by the Indonesian Air Force at its Air Force University, focusing on the recent India-Pakistan air conflict and Indonesia’s anticipatory air power strategies.
Addressing the May 2025 air war, codenamed Operation Sindoor by India, Captain Kumar emphasized India’s resolute stance on nuclear deterrence, stating, “If there’s a nuclear attack on India (by Pakistan), it is very clear that our policy is that Pakistan will not exist.” This remark, widely shared on X, underscores India’s firm policy of massive retaliation in response to any nuclear aggression, reflecting the heightened tensions following the recent conflict.
The Indonesian Air Force University organized the seminars to analyze the India-Pakistan air battle, which saw unprecedented use of advanced missiles, drones, and air defense systems, and to draw lessons for Indonesia’s own air power modernization. The first seminar focused on the tactical and operational aspects of Operation Sindoor, during which the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted precision strikes on 11 Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases, including Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Rafiqui (Shorkot), and Bholari, in response to a Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, that killed 26 civilians. The second seminar explored Indonesia’s strategies for enhancing its air power in anticipation of regional security challenges, with insights drawn from the India-Pakistan conflict.
Kumar reiterated India’s official stance, articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12, 2025, that “there is no tolerance for nuclear blackmail; India will not be intimidated by nuclear threats.” India’s no-first-use nuclear policy, adopted in 1998, allows for massive retaliation in response to a nuclear strike, a doctrine that Kumar clarified with his statement that a nuclear attack by Pakistan would result in its annihilation. This position was echoed by Indian analysts like Harsh Pant, who noted that Operation Sindoor’s strikes, including those near Pakistan’s nuclear facilities, established a new level of deterrence by demonstrating India’s willingness to escalate below the nuclear threshold.
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