 "Air Marshal Bharti is a fighter combat leader and was commissioned into the fighter stream in 1987. Reuters")
Air Marshal AK Bharti addressed a press briefing on Monday and shared details about the success of India’s Operation Sindoor.
He confirmed that all pilots who took part in the operation had returned safely. He also said that the Indian Air Force met all its goals through the precision strikes carried out on targets in Pakistan.
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He made it clear that the operation was meant to hit terrorist camps and was not directed at the Pakistan military or civilians. A video was also shown by the Armed Forces during the briefing, which captured the damage caused to Pakistani ammunition stores.
On Sunday as well, the top IAF officer spoke to the media. A similar video was shown then, showing the impact of the strikes.
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So, who is Air Marshal AK Bharti? Here’s a quick look at his background and the important points he raised during both briefings.
Let’s take a look:
Who is Air Marshal AK Bharti?
Air Marshal AK Bharti is the Director General of Operations in the Indian Air Force.
The Director Generals are senior officers in the armed forces, responsible for handling operations within the country and along the borders.
They work at the strategic and operational levels and report directly to the chief of their respective service.
Air Marshal Bharti is a fighter combat leader and was commissioned into the fighter stream in 1987.
He studied at the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College, and the National Defence College.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe served as Flight Commander and later Commanding Officer of a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron. He has also led 2 Wing at Lohegaon in Pune and held key roles in the Eastern and Central Air Commands, including as Senior Air Staff Officer, NDTV reported.
Air Marshal Bharti has taken part in key IAF exercises like Gagan Shakti. He also led teams during international air exercises such as Indradhanush in 2006 with the Royal Air Force and Garuda in 2007 with the French Air Force.
His service has earned him the Vayu Sena Medal, a Chief of Air Staff Commendation in 1997, and the rare “Three Stars” honour for accident-free flying.
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Why Air Marshal quoted Ramcharitmanas during briefing
During Monday’s briefing, Air Marshal AK Bharti quoted a powerful verse by Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar to send a clear message across the border.
When asked at the press conference about the use of Dinkar’s poetry in a recent video presentation by the armed forces, Air Marshal Bharti cited a couplet from the Ramcharitmanas: “Vinay na maanat jaladh jad gaye teen din beeti. Bole Ram sakop tab, bhay binu hoye na preeti.”
This couplet, from the “Lanka Kaand”, refers to the moment Lord Ram lost his temper after waiting three days as the ocean did not give way for him and his army to cross over to Lanka, where Ravan had kept his wife, Goddess Sita, in captivity.
It roughly means: “The ocean, being dull-witted, did not accept our humble request, and three days have passed. Without fear, there can be no love.”
After quoting the lines, Air Marshal Bharti added: “Samajhdaar ko ishara kaafi hai (a hint is enough for the wise).”
This verse is often seen as a reminder that fear is sometimes needed to deal with the obstinate, possibly referring to India’s firm response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
What did he say during the briefings?
On Monday, Air Marshal AK Bharti said that all Indian military bases were fully operational and continued to function normally, dismissing Pakistan’s claims of having hit Indian bases.
He said the bases remained “ready to undertake any future missions should the need so arise.”
He credited India’s layered and integrated air defence system for keeping both military and civilian infrastructure safe.
Air Marshal Bharti confirmed that all pilots involved in Operation Sindoor had returned safely. “We are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat. However, we have achieved all our objectives, and all our pilots are back home,” he said.
He also said that a few Pakistani aircraft were shot down but did not give a number, citing ongoing technical analysis.
“Pakistani aircraft were prevented from entering Indian airspace, so we don’t have wreckage, but we are certain of the hits.”
Notably, the Indian Air Force played a “major role” in the strikes by targeting some camps, while the Indian Navy supported the operation by providing “wherewithal in terms of precision munitions”.
On Sunday, Air Marshal Bharti said, “We carefully selected the targets and out of the nine selected targets, the target systems that were given to the IAF, were the notorious training camps at Bahawalpur and Muridke.”
He said Pakistan had used drones and other aerial equipment to carry out intrusions, but it was “our robust AD (air defence) posture” that mostly kept them out.
As Pakistan had targeted military facilities and civilian areas, he said, “we had to respond.”
“Our response was quick and calibrated, we struck their radar installations at Lahore and close to Gujranwala… We wanted to indicate that we are ready and yet we do not want to escalate, our fight was with the terrorists and not the Pakistani military infrastructure,” he added.
He said that Pakistan was allowing civilian flights to operate during the conflict. “We had to exercise extreme caution, even at the cost of some tactical disadvantage, to ensure there is no damage to any of the civilian aircraft.”
Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was launched in the early hours of May 7 as a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national.
The goal of the operation was to destroy nine terror-related sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. All counterattacks following Pakistani offensives were carried out as part of this operation.
On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations reached out to his Indian counterpart. Both sides agreed to stop all military activity on land, at sea, and in the air, starting from 5 pm, under a ceasefire arrangement.
According to the Indian military, this outreach from Pakistan came after Indian forces launched strong counter-strikes on several Pakistani military bases, including those at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian on Saturday morning.
These strikes were carried out after the Pakistan military made an attempt to target key Indian military sites during the night of May 9-10.
However, just hours after the agreement to stop all military action came into effect, there were reports of Pakistan breaching the ceasefire. Indian air defences intercepted drones from Pakistan during a blackout in Srinagar.
At a press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India takes “very serious note of these violations”. He urged Pakistan to act responsibly and take the necessary steps to prevent further breaches.
With inputs from agencies