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S Jaishankar clarified that Pakistan was informed only after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ was carried out. He also alleged misrepresenting facts by the Opposition.
EAM S Jaishankar at the meeting (Source: X/@DrSJaishankar)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday hit out at the Congress party and said that Pakistan was not informed by India before ‘Operation Sindoor’ and that there was a “dishonest misrepresentation of facts” concerning the strike, sources told CNN-News18.
Addressing a meeting of the Consultative Committee of MEA in New Delhi, the External Affairs Minister also said Pakistan was informed only after the strike (Operation Sindoor), even after a release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
“The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) in Pakistan was informed only after the strike, even after the first release by the PIB,” Jaishankar told the panel.
Sources also said Jaishankar’s remark came after a heated exchange between the members of the Opposition and the NDA at the meeting.
At the meeting, Jaishankar also assured the panel that the government did its best in dispelling any fake news peddled by Pakistan over India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.
WHAT JAISHANKAR SAID ON INDUS WATERS TREATY, TALKS WITH PAKISTAN
Sources said members of the panel also expressed concerns on terror threats in Punjab, and not just in Jammu and Kashmir, and suggested that the country should move ahead with offence and defence.
In response, the EAM told the panel that India, this time, wanted to hit at the epicentre of terrorism, the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The move was something that no other previous government had thought of, he said.
“Out of 200 countries in the world, only three stood for Pakistan, which clearly means the world lauded India’s fight against terrorism,” Jaishankar told the panel.
“Also, India is extremely serious about the implementation of the abundance of Indus Waters Treaty, and the impact would be seen in the next few days,” he said.
“There is no confusion, whatsoever, that ‘Operation Sindoor’ will continue as long as Pakistan provokes India. There will be no talks with Pakistan, except on the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and terrorism,” the EAM said.
Jaishankar also said that India’s stance on cross-border terrorism has now been communicated to all the countries of the world.
Later, members of the panel lauded the efforts by the Indian government to call out Turkey and the actions that followed.
NO US INTERFERENCE: JAISHANKAR
The External Affairs Minister also spoke about the United States’ intervention and said India has no control over what anyone says.
“India has no control over what (US President) Donald Trump said, any matter between India and Pakistan was only bilateral,” he said.
“There were only DGMO to DGMO talks, no US interference,” Jaishankar told the Consultative Committee.
Amid the heated debate, a BJP MP aggressively told the Congress MPs during the consultative committee meeting that Congress members “have never believed in the national security being above politics.”
“Why do you have to give any explanation to the Congress party? They have never believed in the national security being above politics,” the BJP MP said.
As the members of Opposition claimed that BJP leaders have also spoken out of turn on the matter, the BJP MP again responded strongly by saying, “We have taken action and pulled up those doing so.”
“What action has Congress taken against top leaders,” he asked.
The relations between India and Pakistan hit rock bottom after the neighbouring country resorted to a terror attack in Kashmir’s iconic Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 innocent tourists.
In response, India, on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan and destroyed multiple terror targets there and in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
More than 100 terrorists, taking shelter in Pakistan, were also killed in the operation.
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