Former Army chief General Manoj Naravane on Tuesday said Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces' campaign against terror hubs in Pakistan, had a clear politico-military objective and New Delhi knew how and when to end the conflict that lasted for four days in May 2025.

General Naravane, who served as the Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, asserted India gave an appropriate answer through Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

It was a "punitive, precise and proportionate" operation, the former Army chief noted while speaking at the Television Journalists Association's award ceremony in Mumbai.

"Operation Sindoor had a clear politico-military aim. We were sure how and when to end the conflict," General Naravane maintained.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, carrying out precision-driven airstrikes on terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK, eliminating at least 100 terrorists, and also targeted air assets of the neighbouring country as the campaign expanded.

General Naravane said he is often asked why was Operation Sindoor suddenly suspended to which he responds by saying "war is not a Bollywood movie".

Fighting a war is not an easy task, he emphasised.

"When Pakistan proposed a ceasefire, we still had enough strength and could have battered it more. But we did not do that. We showed restraint. The restraint showed by us raised our stature in the world," the former Army chief opined.

India is now considered a responsible and stable country which talks about peace, but when need be it does not hesitate to use force, General Naravane noted.

"This is now our identity," he added.