NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday walked back on comments that Pakistan was informed “at the start” of Operation Sindoor, asserting that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) notified Islamabad only after air strikes on militant camps were carried out.
In a briefing to the parliamentary consultative committee on External Affairs, Jaishankar said that Pakistan was officially informed about the strikes on terror camps around 30 minutes after the operation concluded in the early hours of May 7.
The remarks came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier shared a video on X of Jaishankar speaking to reporters, accusing him of tipping off Pakistan ahead of the strike. The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier dismissed the claim as a “misrepresentation of facts.”
Jaishankar had earlier this month told the media that India had “sent a message to Pakistan at the start of the operation that we are striking only on terrorist infrastructure and not on the military, so they have an option to stay out of it and not interfere...they chose not to take that good advice.”
According to sources, Jaishankar told MPs at the meeting, “Pakistan was informed 30 minutes after terror hubs were struck.” He said the Foreign Secretary was briefed on the 1:30 am operation, which was followed by a Press Information Bureau statement. Thereafter, the DGMO informed his Pakistani counterpart about the operation.
He further clarified that only the DGMOs of both countries communicated, and no other Indian official spoke directly with the Pakistani side.
The EAM also dismissed concerns about alleged US interference, stating the decision to halt the military operation was taken bilaterally after a request from the Pakistani side. He reiterated that the cessation of Operation Sindoor took place only after Pakistan's DGMO requested a halt to hostilities, and there was no mediation by the United States.
Responding to queries from MPs, Jaishankar said that the DGMO had conveyed to Pakistan that if they fired, India would respond in kind. The targeted strikes not only hit terror infrastructure, he added, but also impacted the morale of Pakistani forces.
The minister emphasised that the US had urged India to engage in talks with Pakistan, but New Delhi maintained its position that “terror and talks do not go together.” He also called for cross-party unity in “exposing” Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorism globally.
He told MPs that multi-party delegations had been sent to various countries to communicate India’s united stand against terrorism.
Sharing photos from the meeting on X, Jaishankar wrote: “Discussed Operation Sindoor and India’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Underlined the importance of sending a strong and united message in that regard.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri presented a detailed overview of the operation to MPs, while Jaishankar addressed follow-up questions.
Sources said Congress members raised concerns over why the US continued to “hyphenate” India with Pakistan, as well as India’s decision to abstain from an IMF vote on aid to Pakistan and Islamabad’s growing ties with China.
In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Jaishankar rejected the Western characterisation of India-Pakistan tensions as a nuclear flashpoint. “At no point was a nuclear level reached,” he said, criticising what he called a misguided and harmful lens.
Framing every regional conflict as a nuclear risk, Jaishankar argued, only emboldens terrorism by drawing false equivalence. India, he reiterated, remains “very, very far away” from any nuclear confrontation with Pakistan.
He further underlined Pakistan’s role in state-sponsored terrorism, citing ongoing activity by terror groups in several Pakistani cities and pointing to the recent Pahalgam attack as additional proof.
