New Delhi: A political storm has erupted over allegations that India informed Pakistan about Operation Sindoor. The controversy intensified on Saturday after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), through its South and South-East Asia (SSP) Division, issued a clarification on the matter.
The MEA stated: “External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had mentioned that a warning was conveyed to Pakistan in the early phase of Operation Sindoor. However, this is being misrepresented as a pre-operation alert. This is a gross misinterpretation of facts, and we strongly condemn such distortion.”
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, however, accused the government of committing a “criminal act” by allegedly informing Pakistan at the start of the operation. Sharing a video clip of Dr. Jaishankar on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi claimed the government had “admitted” that it informed Pakistan at the onset of the airstrikes.
“The External Affairs Minister has publicly acknowledged that the Indian government sent a message to Pakistan during the operation. Who authorized this? How many aircraft did our Air Force lose because of this?” Gandhi questioned.
What Did Dr. Jaishankar Actually Say?
In the video shared by Gandhi, Dr. Jaishankar can be heard saying:
“At the beginning of the operation, we sent a message to Pakistan saying we are targeting the terror infrastructure and not the military. Therefore, the Pakistani military had the option to stay out and not interfere. They chose not to take good advice.”
In response, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a fact-check rejecting the claims. The PIB clarified that Dr. Jaishankar did not say India informed Pakistan before the operation. “The minister’s comments are being misrepresented,” the post asserted.
As political accusations intensify, the government appears keen to assert that any communication to Pakistan was post-initiation and aimed purely at de-escalation by making clear that the target was terrorism, not the Pakistani military.