Why even after Balakot, Pakistan could not be ready for India’s Operation Sindoor: 7 factors

More than six years after the Balakot air strikes, Pakistan once again found itself flat-footed when India launched a far more expansive and sophisticated military operation earlier this month.

Operation Sindoor, conducted in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian civilians, revealed not only India’s growing military prowess but also Pakistan’s enduring strategic and technological shortcomings. Here are seven key reasons why Pakistan was unable to mount an effective defense.

1. From symbolism to strategic substance

Operation Sindoor represented a qualitative leap in Indian military doctrine. Unlike the 2016 Uri surgical strikes or the 2019 Balakot air strike, Sindoor was designed to achieve deeper strategic effects.

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Indian forces delivered calibrated but materially damaging blows to terrorist camps and supporting infrastructure across the border.

At the same time, India demonstrated strict escalation control by avoiding civilian targets and steering clear of sensitive nuclear facilities. This fusion of restraint and effectiveness caught Pakistan off guard.

2. Indigenous systems and networked warfare

One of the most decisive factors was the performance of India’s indigenous military technology. Systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), such as the Akash surface-to-air missile and the MRSAM (Medium Range Surface to Air Missile) system, were seamlessly integrated with Russian-origin S-400s and Israeli radar platforms.

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These networks functioned as a cohesive system, enhancing surveillance, tracking, and interception capabilities. India’s command and control centres used AI-powered decision-support tools to optimise deployment, helping counter Pakistan’s retaliatory attempts with speed and precision, author and commentator on geostrategic affairs, Saurav Jha, was quoted as saying by Rediff News.

3. Pakistan’s underwhelming air defence

Despite acquiring Chinese-made HQ-9BE and HQ-16FE systems, Pakistan’s air defences proved ineffective against India’s standoff missile strikes, including the supersonic BrahMos. Even with Chinese AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) assisting in radar coverage and response coordination, Pakistan failed to anticipate or intercept most Indian strikes. The problem wasn’t just technical; it was also operational, with gaps in radar coverage and poor coordination between Pakistan’s air force and ground-based defences.

4. Doctrinal stagnation, misplaced assumptions

Pakistan’s military planning still operates on Cold War-era assumptions that stress air-to-air combat as the primary domain of air power. India upended this approach by focusing on disabling Pakistan’s ground-based air assets and airbases through precision strikes.

With several key runways damaged and aircraft grounded, Pakistan’s ability to respond was severely diminished. This doctrinal rigidity left the country unable to counter a modern, multi-domain offensive.

5. Structural and operational limitations

Pakistan’s limitations were exposed as soon as Indian drones and cruise missiles overwhelmed its airspace. While Pakistan scrambled to launch countermeasures, India’s layered air defence— combining kinetic interceptors and electronic warfare— neutralised over 600 hostile drones. Pakistani missile and drone attacks failed to penetrate Indian airspace with any significant impact, pointing to a systemic failure in both offensive capability and strategic planning.

6. Ineffective foreign support

Although China and Turkey provided radar and satellite data to Pakistan, their assistance did not change the outcome. The Chinese-origin systems Pakistan used lacked sufficient integration with local platforms and were no match for the scale and speed of India’s operations. Even upgraded Chinese radars failed to detect low-flying loitering munitions that struck with pinpoint accuracy.

7. Structural imbalance between India and Pakistan

At its core, Pakistan’s failure reflects the deeper asymmetry between the two countries. India has steadily built a more unified and indigenous military-industrial base, enabling better integration, supply chain resilience, and operational adaptability.

Pakistan, in contrast, relies on an eclectic mix of Chinese, American, Turkish, and European systems, many of which are outdated or poorly maintained. The lack of a coherent “system-of-systems” approach leaves Pakistan struggling to respond to the kind of rapid, network-centric operations that India now routinely practices.