Both intellectuals and lay persons say that war is, without an iota of doubt, associated with violence. War, since times immemorial, has been fought for a multitude of reasons. Over the course of time, the underlying nature as well as the tools and mechanisms of warfare have undergone sea changes. Today, newer conceptions of warfare have emerged and with that the laws that govern such conduct. This conduct manifests itself in the tradition of Just War and its two foundational principles—Jus Ad bellum and Jus in Bello, while the former is concerned with principles of the right to go to war, the latter is concerned with the right conduct in war. In this context, it becomes essential to undertake an ethical analysis of Operation Sindoor—one of the most important military counterstrikes undertaken in recent times.
The Just War of Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, one of the most revered religious personalities and philosophers in the theological and intellectual tradition of the West is an important figure in the Just War tradition. He is the author of the magnum opus text Summa Theologica. While Western statesmen, military officers and academics have invoked him to provide a theological-political interpretation of various conflicts, it becomes essential to invoke him in the Indian context.
For Aquinas, in this morally imperfect world, man is a mixture of opposites—he is capable of doing immense good as well as unimaginable acts of cruelty. In the context of the modern nation-state system, this imperfection manifests itself in the immoral activities of states. Pakistan represents one such immoral fiendish actor.
The aim of Danda is to make use of force in order to restore justice and ensure that unruly actors can stay within limits and mend their behaviour before a more punitive exercise of force is done; India chose to exercise the option of Danda following the exhaustion of the previous three upayas
For Aquinas, war must be declared by a sovereign authority which is responsible for the welfare of the common masses. It must be pursued with a just intention aimed at securing peace and avenging injustice by punishing evil doers. Operation Sindoor was undertaken by the sovereign authority of the Indian state that is constitutionally bound to protect its population and its interests against all threats—internal and external. The precision strikes were, therefore, carried out for the purpose of avenging the grave injustice and pain inflicted on innocent civilians in the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. Apart from this, the strikes were executed carefully in order to hit the infrastructure of terror groups and not civilian targets. This vindicates India’s Jus in Bello requirements—the right manner of conducting war. India’s actions demonstrate that she is committed to the protection of civilian lives while carrying out retributive actions that are aimed at exorcising morally evil entities like terror groups and their sponsors. Aquinas further argues that the objective of war is not to perpetuate the vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence but to ensure Tranquillitas Ordinis—to ensure the tranquillity of order. Through her military action, India sought to send a clear message to the world in general and the Pakistani civilian-military nexus in particular that while she doesn’t seek war, India won’t shy away from using punitive force to restore order.
Kautilyan Danda Niti
Having established the Aquinian moral mandate for India’s rightful intentions, it becomes essential to analyse India’s execution via the strategic realist tradition of Kautilya. In the Arthashastra, Kautilya argues that the world is the realm of Matsyanyaya—a lawless, chaotic entity where the principle of “might is right” operates. Hence, in order for the Rashtra or state to survive and thrive, it must cultivate strength. Contrary to conventional political theorists who view Kautilya as an “amoral realist”, he was anything but that. For Kautilya, Yogakshema or the welfare of the masses must be the primary aim of the sovereign. If any external entity, according to Kautilya, seeks to disturb the peace of the Janpada or the people, it becomes the responsibility of the state to restore order and teach the perpetrator a stern lesson in order to enforce deterrence.
India, in accordance with the upayas of Kautilya sought to maintain camaraderie and amicable relations with Pakistan. India has tried Sama via diplomatic measures and numerous initiatives over the years to develop good relations with Pakistan, Dana or concessions through initiatives like the Indus Water Treaty to incentivise Pakistan to mend its notorious ways and reciprocate India’s hand of friendship, but to no avail.
Therefore, left with no options India has chosen to apply the remaining two upayas— Bheda and Danda. The former has been used in steps like keeping the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, and carrying out an all out diplomatic offensive both via the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as well as Indian parliamentary delegations to send the message that misadventurism by Pakistan will carry devastating costs.
The last upaya Danda represents the calibrated military action. The aim of Danda is to make use of force in order to restore justice and ensure that unruly actors can stay within limits and mend their behaviour before a more punitive exercise of force is done; India chose to exercise the option of Danda following the exhaustion of the previous three upayas. However, the idea of Danda in the evolving landscape of 21st century warfare has changed completely. Hence, India is invoking the Shadgunya Niti or six fold policy to continue the process of thwarting Pakistan’s evil designs.
Among the policies, India is pursuing Dvaidhibhava or the strategy of dual policy involving Samsraya or alliance with like minded and not-so like minded actors to not only counter Pakistani designs in the neighbourhood of South Asia but to also make Pakistan realise that its transgressions will involve exaction of punitive costs.
Across civilisational and theological lines, both Thomas Aquinas and Kautilya recognise the fact that war must be fought for righteous reasons; it must be fought for the restoration of order and protection of innocent lives. Operation Sindoor, therefore, represents India’s Jus in Bello action. India’s calibrated use of force was ultimately aimed at ensuring order, demonstrating India’s disciplined use of kinetic measures that sought to ensure stability and keep the conflict from spiraling out of control.
–The writer is currently working as a Research Associate at Defence Research and Studies (dras.in) and is a columnist. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
