Rahul Gandhi’s Fighter Jet Loss Query Fuels Pakistan Propaganda
Congress senior leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has recently made remarks that have sparked significant debate in Pakistan. His comments, particularly regarding "Operation Sindoor," have been prominently picked up and interpreted by Pakistani media to suit their narrative, leading to widespread discussions not only in Pakistan but also among Indian political circles and former military officials.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi raised several questions about the past military operation, "Operation Sindoor," through a post on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). He alleged that Pakistan’s army had advance knowledge of the operation and shared a video of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaking about it in the past. He also demanded clarity on how many fighter jets India had lost during the operation. Rahul Gandhi asserted in his post that it is a criminal offense to share sensitive information about military actions with a hostile nation in advance.
Pakistani media quickly seized upon Rahul Gandhi's remarks. They widely broadcast stories claiming that "Operation Sindoor" was a failure and that Pakistan had defeated India in the course of the mission. Despite Pakistan’s own air bases and defense systems reportedly sustaining damage during India’s offensive, Pakistani media has refused to acknowledge any losses. Instead, they have boasted about shooting down five Indian fighter jets, including a Rafale aircraft. Rahul Gandhi’s questions regarding India’s aircraft losses have, according to reports, further fueled Pakistan’s narrative, prompting several Pakistani news outlets to conduct special discussion programs on the issue.
However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has strongly rejected Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, calling them baseless. The ministry clarified that the statements made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar were in the context of a retaliatory action by Pakistan’s army following India’s successful targeting of terrorist camps during "Operation Sindoor." The ministry explained that after the operation commenced, India informed Pakistan that its intention was only to strike terrorist camps and advised Pakistan to stay out of it. “Despite this warning, the Pakistan Army did not comply,” the ministry quoted S. Jaishankar as saying.
Meanwhile, several former military officials have also criticized Rahul Gandhi’s statements. They questioned why, if Pakistan had indeed been forewarned, terrorists were still present in camps in regions like Muridke and Bahawalpur. These officials reminded that over 100 terrorists were killed during "Operation Sindoor." They also pointed out that even the United States had informed Pakistan after the 2011 Abbottabad raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Similarly, they mentioned that following India’s 2019 Balakot strikes, Indian military leadership had briefed Pakistan about the operation. According to them, such disclosures are part of standard military protocol. They advised that issues of such sensitivity should be handled with responsibility.