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Informist, Monday, May 19, 2025

NEW DELHI – Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Monday slammed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for allegedly informing Pakistan about the Operation Sindoor and said the minister's silence on the number of planes Indian Air Force lost was "damning". The former Congress president posted on X, formerly Twitter, that informing Pakistan at the start of attack was a crime and that the minister must inform how many planes were lost because of Pakistan knowing about the operation beforehand. 

"EAM (External Affair Minister) Jaishankar's silence isn't just telling – it's damning. So, I'll ask again: how many India aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew," Gandhi said. "This wasn't a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth."

The Congress on Monday said that India was being riduculed in Pakistan and the whole world after the statement of Jaishankar. That is why Rahul Gandhi is repeatedly saying that you should answer what damage the country suffered from this forewarning you gave to Pakistan, Congress leader Pawan Khera said during a media briefing. It is very important for us to know how many planes of the country fell, what damage the country suffered and how many terrorists escaped, Khera asked.

On Saturday, Gandhi launched attack on Jaishankar for his remark that Pakistan was told at the start of the operation that Indian armed forces were striking at terrorist camps only and not striking at the military installations. Gandhi asked that how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost due to this.

Jaishankar on Thursday said, "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".

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs termed Gandhi's allegation as misrepresentation of facts. According to reports, the ministry clarified that the government had warned Pakistan in the early phase before Operation Sindoor's commencement and not immediately before it.

Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to strike at terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for last month's Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 people, mainly tourists, were killed. The Indian armed forces destroyed terrorist camps at nine locations under Operation Sindoor, the government said, adding that over 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes. Following the Indian strikes, Pakistan resorted to artillery shelling and launched drone attacks on military and civilian areas at multiple places in the country. In response, India armed forces struck at 11 Pakistani airbases and damaged key military infrastructure. On May 10, both the countries reached an understanding to stop firing at land, in sea and air.  End

Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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