Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor: India’s New Normal – Book Review

Why did I pick up “Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India's New Normal?” Firstly, I thought that the book coming out after six months would lift the veil of some fake claims from both sides of that period. Secondly, having deployed in active CI Operations in and around Pahalgam including the first protection of the Amarnath Yatra in 1990 was to get me back to my memory lane. Lastly, having dealt with the subject of Terrorists and their Camps in Pakistan in early 2000s was keen to know about the changes. 

In War, truth is the first outright casualty; it is more often buried under competing narratives, selective leaks, emotional rhetoric of claims, counter claims and strategic deception. This was the case in this short conflict as well. Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India’s New Normal arrives in precisely such a contested information environment. Appearing several months after the short but intense India–Pakistan confrontation of May 2025, the book seeks to move beyond headlines and propaganda to reconstruct what happened, why it happened, and what it signifies for the future.

For a reader unfamiliar with the complex historical, political, and military context of the subcontinent, this volume performs an essential service. It explains not only the operational details of Operation Sindoor, but also the deeper strategic logic that underpinned India’s actions and the doctrinal shift they represent. It is best read as a carefully argued case that India has entered a new phase in managing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism—one that fuses military precision, technological maturity, and calibrated escalation control.

Authored by Major General (Dr) Bipin Bakshi, Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, and Brigadier Akhelesh Bhargava, the book brings together four practitioners from distinct domains: land warfare, airpower, diplomacy, and strategic analysis. Their collaboration gives the narrative both a technical depth and policy relevance through a smooth flow of events duly documented with references rather than fragmented events.

The book has been chapterized into Eight Chapters starting with State-Sponsored Terror. The opening chapter establishes a fundamental premise: Operation Sindoor cannot be understood in isolation. Since the mid-1980s, Pakistan’s military establishment has increasingly relied on “Proxy War through Terrorism” as an “Instrument of State Foreign Policy” against India. Having failed to achieve its objectives through conventional wars, Islamabad’s deep state adopted a strategy of bleeding India by a “Thousand Cuts,” particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.

For the readers, this background is crucial. The authors outline how militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have functioned as extensions of Pakistani state power, enjoying training, financing, and sanctuary across the border. While Pakistan publicly denies responsibility, a large body of international evidence—financial trails, captured militants, intercepted communications—has long pointed to institutional complicity. Operation Sindoor is positioned not as a sudden outburst, but as a response within a prolonged pattern of provocations after in house discussions at the highest level.

The next Chapter is a true narration of touching heart rendering stories of “Celebration Dreams turning into Emotional Individual Tragedies and a National Tragedy.” The Chapter focuses on the 22 April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Kashmir. Civilians were deliberately targeted, turning what should have been a celebratory trip into an episode of mass trauma. The authors reconstruct the sequence of events, early intelligence leads, and forensic indicators that tied the attackers to Pakistan-based networks. The text brings out how such attacks are designed to achieve psychological and political effects, undermining confidence in the state, provoking communal tensions, and forcing decision-makers into a dilemma between restraint and retaliation. “Go and tell Modi.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement— “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice”—is presented not as mere rhetoric, but as the articulation of a political leadership resolve. 

The central idea with the main thrust of the book lies in Chapter 3, which narrates Operation Sindoor as a multi-domain campaign spanning land, air, sea, cyber, space, and information. The well thought of the operation’s name “Sindoor” (vermilion) carries symbolic weight in Indian culture, associated with commitment and sacrifice. The authors argue that the operation embodied a collective national will, aligning political intent, military capability, and public sentiment.

India’s approach was deliberately calibrated to Limited objectives as to degrade terrorist infrastructure and signal costs. Focus on known camps and launchpads rather than military targets. Short, intense operations rather than prolonged escalation while maintaining readiness to respond, while avoiding steps that could escalate to a general war. The narrative also highlights maritime posture adjustments and cyber operations, demonstrating that modern conflicts are no longer confined to traditional battlefields.

Air, Space, and the Nuclear Shadow aspect of the air campaign and the role of space-based assets is examined in Chapter 4. The authors explain how satellite surveillance, early warning systems, and secure communications networks enable real-time situational awareness. They also describe how hostilities briefly approached dangerous thresholds before being stabilised through signalling and backchannel communication.

Operation Sindoor demonstrates that limited conventional action is possible even under a nuclear overhang between the two nuclear nations at war, provided objectives are narrow and signalling is clear. However, President Trump repeatedly took credit of ending a war which could have escalated to a nuclear threshold. 

The detailed destruction of the terror camps on 7 May 2025, and heavy degradation of Pakistani positions are described in operational detail along with pictures. Particularly notable is the account of the air defence battle over Indian skies. Integrated networks combining indigenous systems with IAF command-and-control architecture successfully intercepted drones and other aerial threats. The message is clear: India’s layered air defence has matured into a credible shield.

Operation Sindoor was accompanied by intense diplomatic activity, as well as an information war. The authors describe how several Western countries, along with Israel and Russia, expressed support for India’s right to self-defence. Reactions of the neighbours are also well documented. At the same time, Pakistan attempted to shape global perceptions through selective leaks and misinformation. 

A particularly consequential development was India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance. This move signalled that consequences could have long-term economic and environmental impact on Pakistan. For a country heavily dependent on Indus basin waters, the message was unmistakable that consequences. In the words of Prime minister Modi “Both Blood and Water cannot flow together.” My Twist is "Kashmir is NOT Pakistan’s Jugular Vein-Indian Water is Pakistan’s Jugular Vein"

Operation Sindoor appears to represent “India’s New Normal” in its strategic calculus which lends to a Swift punitive action after major terror attacks, multidomain integration, Emphasis on indigenous technology and willingness to raise costs without seeking territorial conquest. The book talks of a doctrinal evolution and the New Normal Concept. 

A recurring theme is the performance of Indigenous systems. Counter-drone technologies, electronic warfare assets, and air defence weapons of Indian origin performed effectively, validating years of investment under the Atmanirbharta of Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative. At the same time, the book highlights gaps: declining fighter squadron numbers, incomplete networking of certain platforms, and the need for accelerated procurement of assets.

Chinese support to Pakistan emerges as a significant concern. With nearly 80% of Pakistan’s military hardware of Chinese origin, Operation Sindoor offered Beijing an opportunity to observe its systems in live combat. The authors interpret this as a warning that future conflicts may involve collusive threats of a “Two-Front War”.

However, readers should be aware that the book largely reflects an Indian perspective. While this is understandable given the authors’ backgrounds, international readers may wish to supplement it with independent analyses to form a rounded view.However, the authors are transparent about their methodology and acknowledge that some information is derived from interactions with serving officials, while interpretations remain their own.

Operation Sindoor is presented not as the end of terrorism, but as a demonstration that India has both the capability and the will to respond decisively. Echoing the words of analyst Dr Walter Ludwig, the authors argue that Sindoor should be remembered as a calibrated use of force—designed to signal resolve, degrade terrorist infrastructure, and demonstrate capability without sliding into wider war.

Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India’s New Normal offers a serious, structured, accessible account of strategic work. It explains not only what India did, but why it did so and warning that “Operation Sindoor has Not Ended.”

Overall, Redlines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India's New Normal is a must-read for the students of military history who want to understand not just the backdrop or the details of Operation Sindoor, but also the trajectory of India’s likely future policy amid the New Normal in a Multipolar World.