The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday strongly rejected allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that India had informed Pakistan in advance about Operation Sindoor. Terming the claims as an “utter misrepresentation of facts,” the MEA clarified that External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar’s comments were taken out of context.
According to a statement quoted by news agency ANI, the MEA’s External Publicity Division explained that Jaishankar had referred to a warning issued to Pakistan after Operation Sindoor had already begun. “EAM Dr 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 said.
PIB also denies advance warning claim
Earlier in the day, the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check Unit also refuted claims circulating online that Jaishankar had said India warned Pakistan before launching its counter-terrorism strikes. The PIB confirmed that no such advance communication was made, and Jaishankar’s statements were being deliberately misquoted.
Rahul Gandhi’s allegation
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, triggered a political storm with his sharp remarks on the government’s handling of Operation Sindoor. He accused the Centre of compromising national security by allegedly alerting Pakistan prior to military action.
“Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that the Government of India did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our Air Force lose as a result?” Gandhi questioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
While the MEA and PIB both moved quickly to correct the record, the controversy added to the ongoing political tensions over national security in the wake of Operation Sindoor. The government has maintained that all actions taken during the operation were in line with India’s strategic and security interests.
Meanwhile, no direct response to Gandhi’s questions on air force casualties has been issued by the Defence Ministry.