A political maelstrom has erupted in India following External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s alleged admission that Pakistan was informed prior to the launch of ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a military strike targeting “terrorist” infrastructure.
The revelation, captured in a video circulating widely, has ignited fierce criticism from opposition leaders, who accuse the Modi government of compromising national security and endangering soldiers’ lives, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) scrambles to douse the flames with a clarification.
In the video, Jaishankar is heard saying, “At the beginning of the operation, we sent a message to Pakistan saying, ‘We are attacking terrorist infrastructure and we will not attack any Pakistani army.’ The Pakistani army had the opportunity to stay away and not get involved. But they chose not to take our good advice.”
The statement, later interpreted by the MEA as a pre-strike warning, has fuelled outrage.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress, took to X, calling it a “crime” that jeopardized India’s security.
“Who authorized this? How many aircraft did our Air Force lose because of this?” he demanded, reflecting the fury of many who see the move as a strategic blunder amid the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions following the May 7 Kashmir attack.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) escalated the rhetoric, with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh labelling the alleged pre-warning as “treason.” Singh thundered, “Informing Pakistan in advance is a betrayal of India and our army. It’s unprecedented and unforgivable.”
He questioned whether this was a high-level directive, demanding transparency from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The people have a right to know – has the Modi government been dishonest with our armed forces and underestimated our security? If so, the opposition will rally the public and demand justice,” he vowed, hinting at a broader campaign to hold the government accountable.
However, the narrative took a twist with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) and the MEA pushing back against the claims.
The PIB asserted that Jaishankar never admitted to pre-notifying Pakistan, alleging his words were “misrepresented.” The MEA’s XP Division clarified on Saturday, “EAM S Jaishankar had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement.”
The statement aims to reframe Jaishankar’s remarks as a post-action warning, but the video’s clarity and the MEA’s failure to outright deny the core claim have left room for skepticism.
The controversy dovetails with recent regional developments, including US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire announcement on May 10, which some Indian media outlets, as noted by The Economist, portrayed as a national disappointment.
The timing of Jaishankar’s statement – amidst heightened nationalist fervour – has amplified its political fallout. Critics argue that if true, pre-informing Pakistan could have given the enemy time to prepare, potentially explaining losses like those Gandhi alluded to, though no official casualty figures have been confirmed.