Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has revealed that Pakistan failed to obtain evidence of targets being hit during Operation Sindoor despite attempts to access commercial satellite imagery, including from Chinese satellite companies.

He explained that while such imagery is available to anyone through companies in both the United States and China, access depends on contracts, payments and waiting periods, making immediate acquisition impossible.

Speaking at the 'VIMARSH' event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation, General Chauhan said Pakistan was unable to confirm the results of its strikes. 

He noted that although Pakistan tried to secure satellite images, they were not able to establish any evidence of damage because their strikes did not hit targets. He emphasised that commercial satellite facilities are widely available, but the process is subject to contractual arrangements and payment models, which involve delays.

General Chauhan elaborated that Pakistan was effectively "blind" about the results of its strikes and subsequently attempted to obtain satellite imagery to establish whether its attacks had caused damage. 

He said that Pakistan continued its efforts between 10 and 12 May 2025, trying to obtain images to prove that its strikes had hit targets. However, these attempts failed, as no evidence was forthcoming.

He further explained that Pakistan tried to access imagery from other Chinese satellites after failing initially, but again could not establish that its strikes had hit any targets.

This absence of evidence led to speculation within Pakistan that information may have been deliberately withheld, possibly due to Indian insistence, fuelling conspiracy theories and doubts within their ranks.

The remarks were made in the context of Operation Sindoor, which India launched on 7 May 2025 following the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. India stated that the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

General Chauhan’s comments underline the limitations Pakistan faced in verifying its military actions and highlight the reliance on external satellite imagery, which ultimately did not provide the evidence they sought.

ANI