# India planned to target Skardu airbase after Sargodha: Ex-CDS 2026-08-26T15:36:32+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet India had planned to strike Pakistan's Skardu airbase in Gilgit-Baltistan as the next target after Sargodha during Operation Sindoor, former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has revealed. The Indian armed forces had to alter the plan due to bad weather in the area. General Chauhan, who was serving as CDS when the operation was carried out, disclosed the details while speaking at the Vivekananda International Foundation. He discussed the operation and its aftermath, offering a rare glimpse into the military's contingency planning. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Skardu airbase sits in a strategically sensitive region near the Line of Control in Gilgit-Baltistan, a territory India considers part of Jammu and Kashmir under illegal Pakistani occupation. Targeting it would have aimed at disrupting Pakistan's ability to project air power into Ladakh and Siachen. Operation Sindoor, carried out during Chauhan's tenure, remains largely classified, his public remarks suggest the military had sequenced multiple targets. Weather constraints are a recurring challenge for Himalayan air operations, where sudden cloud cover or storms can ground precision strikes. The disclosure may signal a deliberate move to project India's offensive capability and deterrence posture without revealing operational specifics. Watch for any official confirmation or further details from the defence ministry about the operational scope of Operation Sindoor. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com Straight reporting of the ex-CDS's remarks without editorial framing This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Anil Chauhan, Gilgit-Baltistan, India, Pakistan, Skardu Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-planned-to-target-skardu-airbase-after-sargodha-ex-cds/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-planned-to-target-skardu-airbase-after-sargodha-ex-cds/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/