UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Short-duration, deep-penetration, high-intensity & high-impact, Op Sindoor showcased India’s collective resolve & new military ethos: Raksha Mantri at Joint Commanders’ Conference

Q1. In the context of India's national security, the term 'Operation Sindoor' refers to which one of the following?

• A. Tri-service precision strikes by the Indian armed forces on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir in May 2025
• B. An Indian Navy-led anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden launched in 2025
• C. A joint India-France counter-terrorism military exercise conducted in 2025
• D. An Indian Army-led counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East in 2025

Q2. With reference to the 2nd Joint Commanders' Conference held in Jaipur (7-8 May 2026), consider the following items reportedly released by the Raksha Mantri on the occasion: Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as having been released at this Conference?

1. A documentary film on Operation Sindoor
2. The Hindi version of 'Defence Forces Vision 2047'
3. The Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture
4. The Indian Navy Maritime Security Strategy (INMSS-2026)

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 3 only
• C. 4 only
• D. 2 and 4 only

Q3. How many distinct documents/publications were officially released by the Raksha Mantri at the 2nd Joint Commanders' Conference held in Jaipur in May 2026?

• A. Two
• B. Three
• C. Four
• D. Five

Q4. How many terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir were targeted by the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor (May 2025)?

• A. Four
• B. Seven
• C. Nine
• D. Twelve

Q5. With reference to the evolution of India's cross-border counter-terror responses since 2016, consider the following statements: 1. The 2016 surgical strikes targeted terrorist launchpads exclusively across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, whereas the 2019 Balakot strike targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed facility located beyond Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 2. Unlike the 2016 surgical strikes, which were an Indian Army-led ground operation, the 2019 Balakot strike was carried out by the Indian Air Force. 3. Operation Sindoor (2025) was the only one among these three operations in which Pakistani military installations were also targeted alongside terror infrastructure. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The 2016 surgical strikes targeted terrorist launchpads exclusively across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, whereas the 2019 Balakot strike targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed facility located beyond Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
2. Unlike the 2016 surgical strikes, which were an Indian Army-led ground operation, the 2019 Balakot strike was carried out by the Indian Air Force.
3. Operation Sindoor (2025) was the only one among these three operations in which Pakistani military installations were also targeted alongside terror infrastructure.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Which one of the following is the apex bilateral institutional mechanism established under Article VIII of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, for cooperative implementation of the Treaty between India and Pakistan?

• A. Permanent Indus Commission
• B. Indus Basin Development Authority
• C. Joint Rivers Commission
• D. Indus Waters Council

Q7. In the context of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, the term 'Run-of-River Plant', as defined in Annexure D of the Treaty, precisely refers to:

• A. A hydroelectric plant that develops power without live storage as an integral part of the plant, except for pondage and surcharge storage
• B. Any hydroelectric plant located on the main stem of a Western River, regardless of its storage capacity
• C. A storage-based hydroelectric plant whose reservoir is filled exclusively by seasonal snowmelt and glacier discharge
• D. A plant that diverts the entire flow of a tributary of a Western River for power generation and returns it downstream

Q8. Which one of the following best describes an 'Inter-Services Organisation' as constituted under the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023?

• A. A unit, establishment or command in which personnel of more than one of the regular Armed Forces of the Union serve together under a Commander-in-Chief or Officer-in-Command
• B. A bilateral training command jointly operated by India and a foreign armed force under a defence cooperation agreement
• C. An umbrella body of Central Armed Police Forces placed under the operational control of the Ministry of Defence
• D. A standing civilian advisory council attached to the office of the Chief of Defence Staff to coordinate inter-ministerial defence matters

Q9. The Department of Military Affairs, with the Chief of Defence Staff as its Secretary, was created pursuant to a decision taken in which one of the following years?

• A. 2017
• B. 2018
• C. 2019
• D. 2021

Q10. The AI Task Force on Defence (2018), whose recommendations led to the establishment of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Council (DAIC), was constituted under the chairmanship of which one of the following persons?

• A. Nandan Nilekani
• B. N. Chandrasekaran
• C. Kris Gopalakrishnan
• D. Sam Pitroda

Q11. With reference to the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) framework, which one of the following is its primary executive/implementing arm?

• A. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• B. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
• C. Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)
• D. Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA)

Q12. Among the nine sites struck during Operation Sindoor (May 2025), which one is identified as the principal headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)?

• A. Muridke, in Pakistan's Punjab province
• B. Bahawalpur, in Pakistan's Punjab province
• C. Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir
• D. Kotli, in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir

Q13. In the context of Operation Sindoor, the term 'Markaz Taiba' at Muridke most precisely refers to which one of the following?

• A. The headquarters and principal training complex of Lashkar-e-Taiba
• B. The operational headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan's Punjab
• C. A Hizbul Mujahideen launch pad located within Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir
• D. A joint Pakistan Army–ISI forward base used for cross-LoC infiltration

Q14. Among Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, how many are designated on the UN Security Council's ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List under resolution 1267?

• A. Only one
• B. Only two
• C. All three
• D. None

Q15. Who is identified by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee as the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed?

• A. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
• B. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi
• C. Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi
• D. Syed Salahuddin