Jaishankar Defends Operation Sindoor: India Warned Pakistan Before Strikes, Targeted Only Terror Camps: Rahul Gandhi
When the operation began, we conveyed a message to Pakistan, making it clear that our strikes were aimed solely at terrorist infrastructure—not at their military forces. We gave them the option to stay out of it,” said the external affairs minister on Thursday. “Unfortunately, they chose not to take that sensible advice.
Rahul Gandhi Slams Jaishankar: Calling Pre-Strike Warning to Pakistan a ‘Crime’
In his first comments following Operation Sindoor and the halt in military operations between India and Pakistan, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. He criticized Jaishankar’s revelation that India had informed Pakistan in advance about its strikes on terrorist infrastructure across the border.
Calling the decision to alert Pakistan “a crime”, Rahul Gandhi questioned the rationale behind it and demanded answers on how many Indian Air Force aircraft may have been lost as a result of that move.
Source: Live Hindustan
MEA Refutes Rahul Gandhi’s Claims, Clarifies Timing of Pakistan Warning During Operation Sindoor
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quickly responded, dismissing Gandhi’s claims as a clear “misrepresentation of facts”.
While addressing reporters on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that at the beginning of Operation Sindoor, India had conveyed a message to Pakistan clarifying that the strikes were aimed solely at terrorist infrastructure and not at Pakistani military targets. “We told them their military had the option to stay out of it and not intervene,” he said. “Unfortunately, they chose not to take that sensible advice.”
Operation Sindoor: India’s Strategic Warning to Pakistan Sparks Political Controversy
Jaishankar was referring to the communication initiated by India’s Director General of Military Operations, Lt General Rajiv Ghai, who contacted his Pakistani counterpart, Major General Kashif Abdullah, shortly after the Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on May 7.
Lt Gen Ghai conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart that India had struck only “carefully selected” terrorist camps and deliberately avoided targeting Pakistani military positions. Alongside the strikes, India also sent a message to Pakistan expressing its openness to engage in dialogue if Pakistan was willing.
Rahul Gandhi Questions India’s Pre-Strike Alert to Pakistan, Demands Details on Air Force Losses
Reacting strongly, Rahul Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, saying, “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. The External Affairs Minister has publicly admitted that the Government of India did this. Who gave the authorization? And how many aircraft did our Air Force lose because of it?”
Source: Rahul Gandhi
MEA Accuses Opposition of Misrepresenting Facts on Operation Sindoor Pakistan Warning
The Ministry of External Affairs clarified in a statement that the External Affairs Minister’s remarks were being misrepresented. “The Minister had mentioned that we warned Pakistan at the start—referring to the early phase after Operation Sindoor began. This is being wrongly portrayed as having occurred before the operation’s launch. Such a distortion of facts is being firmly called out,” the MEA stated.
Air Marshal Bharti Confirms All IAF Pilots Returned Safely, Acknowledges Combat Losses
Meanwhile, during a media briefing on May 11, Director General Air Operations Air Marshal A. K. Bharti declined to confirm whether any Indian aircraft were lost during Operation Sindoor, citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing combat situation.
India’s Military Outreach Rejected by Pakistan, Prepared for Retaliation During Operation Sindoor
Given the impulsive nature of our adversary, we still made an effort to convey the necessity of our actions to my counterpart immediately after Operation Sindoor began. However, our outreach was bluntly rejected, with a clear warning that a strong retaliation was imminent. Naturally, we were fully prepared for such a response, as evident from the operations carried out on the 7th and 8th,” said Air Marshal Bharti.
He said losses were part of any combat, and the Indian military had achieved all its selected objectives and all IAF pilots were back home.
