Rahul Gandhi Slams Jaishankar Over Alleged Aircraft Losses in Operation Sindoor; MEA, BJP Hit Back
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again launched a sharp attack on External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, accusing him of compromising national security during Operation Sindoor by allegedly alerting Pakistan ahead of India’s strikes.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi posted: “EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t just telling — it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth.”
This marks Gandhi’s second public statement on the matter. On May 17, he accused the government of committing a “crime” by notifying Pakistan before launching airstrikes targeting terrorist infrastructure. “Who authorised it?” he had asked, also questioning potential losses to the Indian Air Force.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) swiftly rebutted Gandhi’s claims, accusing him of misrepresenting Jaishankar’s words. In a statement, the ministry said, “The External Affairs Minister stated we had warned Pakistan at the start, meaning shortly after Operation Sindoor began. This is being wrongly portrayed as an advance notice before the operation commenced.”
BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya also weighed in, criticising Gandhi’s remarks as damaging and irresponsible. “Rahul Gandhi’s daftness is not merely incidental — it is sinister. He is speaking the language of Pakistan,” Malviya posted on X.
On May 15, Jaishankar had explained that India had conveyed a message to Pakistan after launching the operation, clarifying that its actions were aimed at terrorist infrastructure and not military assets. “We told them the military could choose to stay out. They did not take that good advice,” he said, referring to a conversation between India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart, Maj. Gen. Kashif Abdullah.
Despite the political back-and-forth, there has been no official confirmation from New Delhi regarding any loss of Indian aircraft. However, Pakistan has claimed otherwise.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told Al Jazeera that its forces had shot down five Indian fighter jets, a drone, and several quadcopters. The country’s military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that these aircraft were brought down within Indian territory and maintained that neither side violated each other’s airspace — a claim India has also echoed.
On May 9, Pakistan’s Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed claimed the downed aircraft included three Rafale jets, one MiG-29, and one Su-30, even providing coordinates and electronic evidence of the alleged hits.
Chinese state media outlet The Global Times also reported that Indian aircraft were downed, but India’s embassy in China dismissed the report as “disinformation.”
When questioned about aircraft losses during a press briefing following the ceasefire announcement, India’s Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, said: “We are in a combat scenario, and losses are part of such operations. I won’t comment further as we are still in an active conflict zone, and such details could benefit the adversary. What I can say is all our pilots are safely back.”
As the political controversy intensifies, the government has yet to officially confirm or deny Pakistan’s claims regarding the number of aircraft lost during the operation.
