Rahul Gandhi steps up attack on EAM Jaishankar, questions aircraft losses after alleged tip-off to Pakistan
Stepping up attack on the Modi government, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP), Rahul Gandhi on Monday repeated his question to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on his silence on why he informed Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “EAM Jaishankar’s silence on ‘informing’ Pakistan isn’t just telling — it is damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves to know,” wrote Gandhi.
The former Congress President was referring to a video clip of Jaishankar in which he said, “At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan”.
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.
Last week also, Gandhi slammed 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 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 the GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?” wrote Gandhi.
He also shared an undated video of Jaishankar saying India had informed Pakistan of the action against terror infrastructure on its soil.
Rebutting Gandhi’s claim, the External Affairs Ministry had stated, “The EAM had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement.
This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out”, said the statement.
At a press conference in the capital on Monday, Congress leader Pawan Khera demanded answers from the Prime Minister and EAM on the issue
“ We also need to know if the forewarning helped Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar to run away before the attack,” said Khera.
In a post on X, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that in any parliamentary democracy, ministers are duty-bound to respond when the Opposition raises matters of national security. “Yet, the EAM has remained silent. This silence raises grave questions,” he said. “Why was Pakistan informed in advance? Who authorised this breach of operational secrecy? What consequences did our armed forces face because of it?
This was not a routine decision. It was not a diplomatic formality. If Indian aircraft were lost because of foreknowledge given to the enemy — this isn’t a lapse.
It’s a betrayal. The nation deserves the truth. Parliament deserves accountability. And those responsible must be held to account,” he said.
The Press Information Bureau has also debunked the claims. In a post on X, the PIB’s Fact Check Unit said the minister was being misquoted.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), has earlier 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. Khera said that in the video, the EAM is clearly heard saying that “we informed Pakistan at the beginning”.
Operation Sindoor was the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.