The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly refuted claims that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar admitted to informing Pakistan before the launch of Operation Sindoor, calling the interpretation a “complete misrepresentation of facts.”
The controversy emerged after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of alerting Pakistan ahead of the precision strikes, calling it a “crime.” In a post on X, Gandhi stated, “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?” He also shared a video clip of Jaishankar discussing the operation.
In the video, Jaishankar is heard saying:
“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.”
Clarifying the statement, the MEA said the remarks are being “falsely represented” and that the message to Pakistan was sent after the operation had already commenced—not before. “This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out,” the ministry said through its External Publicity Division.
The Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit also backed the clarification, stating Jaishankar’s words were taken out of context and that he “has not made any such statement” suggesting prior notice before the strike.
Operation Sindoor was launched by Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The operation was a direct retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national.
A government statement following the strikes emphasized:
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory. No Pakistani military facilities were targeted. India has shown considerable restraint.”
In response to India’s operation, Pakistan initiated retaliatory drone and missile strikes the next day, which India successfully countered. India followed up by striking 11 Pakistani air bases, escalating tensions briefly.
By May 10, both nations agreed to halt further military action and de-escalate the situation along the Line of Control.
