- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sat, 17 May 2025 08:04 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi: Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the government for "informing" Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor, saying it was a crime and asking who had authorised it, the Ministry of External Affairs has issued a clarification that he was "misquoted". The MEA said Jaishankar had stated that "we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out".
Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the government for "informing" Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor, saying it was a crime and asking who had authorised it.
In a post on X, Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for publicly admitting that the government of India (GOI) had informed Pakistan of the action and asked how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost as a result. "Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" said Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025
EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.
1. Who authorised it?
2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW
Rahul Gandhi raises 3 questions on Jaishankar's remarks
He also shared an undated video of Jaishankar saying India had informed Pakistan of the action against terror infrastructure on its soil. Jaishankar can be heard saying in the video, "At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying, 'We are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military.'" "So the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice," the minister can be heard saying in the clip.
Govt says FAKE NEWS
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), however, has debunked claims that Jaishankar had said India informed Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor. In a post on X, the PIB's Fact Check Unit said the minister had not made any such statement and that he was being misquoted.
Operation Sindoor was the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The social media post falsely implies from External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar's statement that India informed Pakistan before the start of #OperationSindoor#PIBFactCheck:
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 15, 2025
▶️ EAM is being misquoted and he has not made this statement
▶️ Remain vigilant and avoid falling… pic.twitter.com/ox3QECwPrg
India launched Operation Sindoor after Pakistani-sponsored terrorists killed 26 tourists in Kashmir valley. The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that any future act of terror will be construed as an act of war, signalling India's resolve to target Pakistan if it continues to abet terrorism on Indian territory. India has also insisted that it has merely paused Operation Sindoor following days of conflict with Pakistan and its actions will depend on the neighbouring country's conduct.
(With inputs from agency)