Did India Tip Off Pakistan Before Operation Sindoor? MEA Refutes Claims

The Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the minister's statements were falsely represented.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaking to the media in New Delhi. (File: ANI)

New Delhi: A political slugfest has erupted over a startling allegation that India may have compromised its own military operation by warning Pakistan in advance. The charge, levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has put the spotlight on the government’s handling of 'Operation Sindoor', a retaliatory strike launched by India against terror camps in Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs later clarified the minister had stated that "we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement".

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) too swiftly issued a clarification, saying the minister’s comments were misinterpreted and misquoted.

Gandhi’s accusation is based on remarks made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who can be seen in a video stating that India had “sent a message” to Pakistan at the outset of the operation. According to the minister, the government told Pakistan it was targeting terror infrastructure, not military assets, giving Islamabad the “option” to stay out of the conflict.

“This was a crime. Who authorised this? How many of our aircraft were lost as a result?” Rahul Gandhi said in a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter). 

Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.

EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.

1. Who authorised it?
2. ⁠How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025

Operation Sindoor was projected as a carefully calibrated strike against terror hubs in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It was positioned as India’s strong response to the bloodshed in Pahalgam – an assertion of zero tolerance against cross-border terrorism.