'His first question to me was...': Ajit Doval recalls PM Modi's first meeting after Pahalgam attack
The NSA said the objective of Operation Sindoor was clear: destroy enemy camps, particularly those responsible for the Pahalgam attack
- Aug 16, 2026,
- Updated Aug 16, 2026 9:57 AM IST
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first question after returning to India following the Pahalgam terror attack: "Who has done it? Who is responsible?"
Speaking in the Discovery docuseries Declassified: Operation Sindoor, Doval said Modi wanted to know immediately who was behind the attack and what the facts were.
"Prime Minister returned. Foreign Secretary had come to receive him. Then at the airport itself we had a meeting. First he wanted to know all the facts. And then his first question to me was -- 'Who has done it? Who is responsible? We should be very clear who the perpetrators are. I want it immediately,'" Doval said.
"Thanks to our intelligence agencies, I think they did a brilliant job, and within a very short time, we were able to arrive at the conclusion," he added.
Why Operation Sindoor Was Launched
The NSA said the objective of Operation Sindoor was clear: destroy enemy camps, particularly those responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
"We had decided the objective of the operation as destruction of the enemy camps, particularly those who had been responsible for the Pahalgam attack," he said.
The veteran intelligence officer said India wanted the Pakistan Army to understand that its "support to terrorism or inability to take effective action against the terrorists is something which is not tolerable to us".
Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 last year, days after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed. Indian forces carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan later launched offensives against India, but most of its drones were shot down. The conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours lasted nearly 88 hours before the two sides reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
'India Can Hit Hard'
Doval said India's tolerance and generosity should not be mistaken for weakness.
"Message to the world is very clear - India's generosity or India being tolerant should not be mistaken for its weakness. India can take risks; India can hit hard, irrespective of the consequences," he said. "Once anything starts, we are willing to go as far as required to preserve India's sovereignty, and there are no limits on that. We fight till the last drop of blood."
Declassified: Operation Sindoor
The two-part docuseries brings together India's military and national security leadership to recount the decisions and events surrounding Operation Sindoor, Discovery said.
The series includes first-hand accounts from those who oversaw India's response. Doval also offers an account of the decision-making behind the military operation.
Declassified: Operation Sindoor premiered on Saturday at 9 pm on Discovery and the streaming service discovery+.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first question after returning to India following the Pahalgam terror attack: "Who has done it? Who is responsible?"
Speaking in the Discovery docuseries Declassified: Operation Sindoor, Doval said Modi wanted to know immediately who was behind the attack and what the facts were.
"Prime Minister returned. Foreign Secretary had come to receive him. Then at the airport itself we had a meeting. First he wanted to know all the facts. And then his first question to me was -- 'Who has done it? Who is responsible? We should be very clear who the perpetrators are. I want it immediately,'" Doval said.
"Thanks to our intelligence agencies, I think they did a brilliant job, and within a very short time, we were able to arrive at the conclusion," he added.
Why Operation Sindoor Was Launched
The NSA said the objective of Operation Sindoor was clear: destroy enemy camps, particularly those responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
"We had decided the objective of the operation as destruction of the enemy camps, particularly those who had been responsible for the Pahalgam attack," he said.
The veteran intelligence officer said India wanted the Pakistan Army to understand that its "support to terrorism or inability to take effective action against the terrorists is something which is not tolerable to us".
Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 last year, days after the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed. Indian forces carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan later launched offensives against India, but most of its drones were shot down. The conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours lasted nearly 88 hours before the two sides reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
'India Can Hit Hard'
Doval said India's tolerance and generosity should not be mistaken for weakness.
"Message to the world is very clear - India's generosity or India being tolerant should not be mistaken for its weakness. India can take risks; India can hit hard, irrespective of the consequences," he said. "Once anything starts, we are willing to go as far as required to preserve India's sovereignty, and there are no limits on that. We fight till the last drop of blood."
Declassified: Operation Sindoor
The two-part docuseries brings together India's military and national security leadership to recount the decisions and events surrounding Operation Sindoor, Discovery said.
The series includes first-hand accounts from those who oversaw India's response. Doval also offers an account of the decision-making behind the military operation.
Declassified: Operation Sindoor premiered on Saturday at 9 pm on Discovery and the streaming service discovery+.