Austrian Warfare Expert Says Pakistan Failed to Counter India in Operation Sindoor

Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian Tom Cooper has asserted that India emerged as the clear winner of Operation Sindoor, nearly a year after the military confrontation between India and Pakistan.

Speaking to ANI, Cooper said the Indian military not only struck terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan but also demonstrated the capability to neutralise Pakistani retaliation attempts and damage key military assets.

“The winner is absolutely clear. And there is no reason to think any other way one year later. India has had successful retaliation strikes on major terror camps inside Pakistan, which were considered outside of India's range...India has not only blocked Pakistan's efforts to retaliate, but also delivered very precise damage to Pakistani air defences and air bases....New Delhi has sent a clear message: we can hit whatever we want to hit in Pakistan, and you cannot stop us....So it's your decision, whether you want to stop or continue escalating, but we are ready for escalation, and you have no chance of causing serious damage to us. And this is what then caused this panic in Pakistan, in Islamabad in particular, and where they attempted to get the United States involved,” he said.

What Was Operation Sindoor?

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

According to Indian authorities, the operation targeted nine major terror launchpads located inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The targets reportedly included facilities linked to terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Indian armed forces reportedly eliminated over 100 terrorists during the operation.

Pakistan responded with drone attacks and cross-border shelling, leading to a four-day military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India subsequently carried out retaliatory strikes that reportedly damaged radar installations in Lahore and facilities near Gujranwala.

The hostilities ended on May 10 after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted the Indian DGMO, leading to a ceasefire agreement.

Why Does Tom Cooper Believe Pakistan Lost Strategically?

Cooper argued that beyond battlefield outcomes, the operation exposed Pakistan’s inability to deter Indian strikes or mount a damaging counter-response.

According to him, India’s precision attacks demonstrated both military reach and escalation readiness, fundamentally altering regional strategic calculations.

He suggested that the psychological impact of India’s operations triggered panic within Pakistan’s leadership, eventually pushing Islamabad to seek international intervention.

What Criticism Did Cooper Make About Pakistan’s Military Establishment?

The Austrian analyst also launched a broader critique of Pakistan’s military establishment, questioning its dominance over civilian governance and accusing it of prioritising military expansion over public welfare.

“The Pakistani armed forces have to explain to the public why they are actually controlling the civilian government? Why are they so influential? Why is the Pakistani armed forces in control of the country? Why are they acting in complete disregard for Pakistan's economy, for the suffering of the wider public? Why are they keeping the public in poverty while enriching themselves? And why are they sending their kids to universities and schools in the West, while at the same time supporting and breeding jihad literally? They're wasting billions a year on the production of additional nuclear weapons, and the construction of additional nuclear facilities necessary for the production of nuclear weapons,” he said.

Cooper further claimed that Pakistan’s political system leaves little room for dissent against military narratives.

“This all needs, as I said, this all needs reasoning, public narrative...And in the current political climate in Pakistan, you can see that political parties have no options but to adjust their position to this narrative and act correspondingly. That means we have to support it, otherwise our leaders end up jailed, or there are coups, or the military takes over, and then we have to do what the military wants for us anyway, automatically,” he added.

Why Does Operation Sindoor Continue To Matter?

Nearly a year later, Operation Sindoor continues to remain central to discussions around India-Pakistan military dynamics, deterrence strategy, and cross-border counter-terror operations.

For Indian strategic observers, the operation represented a demonstration of long-range precision capability and escalation control. For critics of Pakistan’s military establishment like Cooper, it also highlighted the political and institutional pressures shaping Islamabad’s security posture.

(With inputs from ANI)