Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified his criticism of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, focusing on the alleged prior notification of Pakistan regarding India’s military action, Operation Sindoor. Gandhi alleges that Jaishankar’s lack of response concerning the number of Indian aircraft “lost” following this notification is “damning.”
Gandhi’s renewed attack follows his previous accusations that the Indian government informed Pakistan before conducting strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t just telling, it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew?” Gandhi posted on X. He further asserted, “This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth.”
Previously, Gandhi shared an undated video clip of Jaishankar, stating, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI (government of India) did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?”
In response, the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed these claims as an “utter misrepresentation.” The ministry clarified that Jaishankar’s statement regarding “warning Pakistan at the start” referred to the early phase of Operation Sindoor’s commencement, not prior to it.
“The external affairs minister had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement,” the ministry’s external publicity (XP) division explained. “This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out,” they stated.
Operation Sindoor involved India destroying nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK on May 7, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. Subsequent retaliatory actions by Pakistan were conducted under this operation. A cessation of hostilities was agreed upon by both sides on May 10, following four days of conflict.
