New Delhi, 12 July : In his first public comments on Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval firmly rejected Pakistan’s claims of inflicting damage, stating that there is not “one photograph, one imagery” showing any damage on Indian soil.

Speaking as the chief guest at the 62nd convocation of IIT Madras on Friday, Doval expressed pride in the indigenous systems used during the operation, including the BrahMos missile and the Integrated Air Command and Control System, and stressed the need for further development of homegrown technology.

Referring to the May 7 operation, Doval said, “We decided to have nine terrorist targets in the crisscross of Pakistan; it was not only border areas. We missed none. We hit nowhere except that. It was precise to the point where we knew who is where. The entire operation took 23 minutes. It started at 5 minutes past 1 and was over at 28 minutes past 1.”

He addressed international claims, particularly from foreign media and Pakistan, about Indian casualties. “Thereafter, a lot of things were said… in the foreign press… said Pakistan did that… you tell me, one photograph, one imagery… which shows any Indian damage being done, even a glass pane having been broken,” he said.

Praising the success of Operation Sindoor, Doval added, “We are really proud of it, not necessarily for what people perceive… We are proud of it, that some of the best systems worked, whether it was the BrahMos missile, whether it was our Integrated Air Command and Control System.”

Highlighting the importance of indigenous technology, Doval referred to the 2020 Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh. “You know, something happened in 2020. It was a slightly bad experience for us… But certain decisions were taken, and one of the decisions we had taken is that we are going to completely indigenise our communication systems, and 5G will not be imported from anywhere. It is necessary for our data protection, for our communications, it is necessary for security… we could not afford to lose the technology battle and remain behind.”

He noted that China took 12 years and invested $300 billion to develop 5G. “We neither had that much time nor that sort of money. Who did we turn to? That is why I said I owe a lot to (IIT Madras Director) Professor V Kamakoti. We wanted trusted sources. We wanted a system along with the private sector to work out,” he said.

“Within about two-and-a-half years, India was totally indigenous, and today’s 5G, there is nothing foreign in that. We owe it to your IIT, to our private sector, to others. All contributed a lot,” Doval added.

Commending Prof Kamakoti, Doval said, “Today it ensures… that even a screw that deals with anything which leads to the nation’s security protection, data protection… it comes from a trusted source. It is either made in India or it is something made by somebody who is very close to India.”

At the start of his address, Doval revealed he was initially reluctant to attend the event. “When Director Kamakoti asked me to be here, obviously I was reluctant. I never make public appearances. Normally, I never go. I had a very small message to make, and I thought I will take this opportunity to convey a very small message,” he said.

He also described artificial intelligence as a “great gamechanger,” emphasizing its applications in research and development, defence, robotics, and healthcare. “That is one area we have to develop. Another is quantum computing and its applications,” Doval said.