DNA EXCLUSIVE: How will Pakistan respond to 'Operation Sindoor'? Is India ready to intercept, destroy Pak fighter jets? EX-Major General speaks

India has targeted nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, but it has spared the Pakistan Army, its infrastructure, or other facilities. How will Islamabad react to it? If it retaliates and targets India, it will be exposed to the world and be proven that Pakistan has not only been aiding and abetting terrorism, but it also protects it and intends to do so in the future. 

Talking exclusively to DNA, Major General (Retired) Harsh Kakkar warned it in the most unequivocal term that Pakistan is most likely to retaliate and hit back. He said that Islamabad may send its fighter jets, like they did in 2019 in the aftermath of the Balakot attack. They also have the option of firing short and medium-range missiles or using drones. 

Explaining the reasons behind the possible response, Major General Kakkar said that the Pakistan Army is desperate to prove itself when the country is in doldrums. He said that the Pakistan Army has already started blowing the Indian attack out of proportion and waged a propaganda war against New Delhi. He said that Islamabad has started claiming that three to five Indian aircraft have been shot down. The fact remains that all planes of the Indian Air Force have returned to their bases after successfully hitting their targets in Pakistan.

Will India be able to intercept Pakistani fighter jets, drones and missiles and destroy them at the border itself? Major General Harsh Kakkar said that India is fully prepared and is able to intercept and destroy anything that comes from Pakistan. He added that it is too early to say whether these attacks would escalate into a full-fledged war. It depends much on Pakistan. However, he said that a Pakistani response is imminent. 

Will India achieve its aim of using these attacks as a deterrent and will Islamabad not further support terrorism? Major General Kakkar said that the deterrence is not limited to air strikes. India earlier put the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance, stopping the flow of the Indus and the Chenab rivers. Besides, New Delhi also downgraded diplomatic relations, closed the Wagah border and snapped trade relations with India. These steps will certainly bring positive results.