Congress Slams Jaishankar Over 'Forewarning' Pakistan: Betrayal, Not Diplomacy, Says RaGa

The Congress on Monday intensified its attack on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar over his controversial revelation that Pakistan was informed ahead of India’s counter-terror strike under ‘Operation Sindoor’. Labelling it not just a diplomatic failure but a "betrayal of the nation," senior Congress leaders accused the government of jeopardizing national security and letting dreaded terrorists escape.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi minced no words as he fired a fresh salvo, saying, “This wasn’t a lapse—it was a crime. The nation deserves the truth.” Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi asked how many Indian aircraft were lost because of Pakistan's prior knowledge and questioned Jaishankar's silence on the matter. "EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t telling—it’s damning,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress spokesperson and head of media Pawan Khera called the revelation shocking and disgraceful. “This is not diplomacy, it is treason. It is betrayal. Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed were saved because of this forewarning. Why was Pakistan tipped off?” he asked.

Khera didn’t hold back in his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi either. Referring to the silence from the PM’s end, he said, “Sindoor ka sauda hota raha, aur PM chup rahe… Sindoor se sauda manzoor nahi, desh ke prati gaddari manzoor nahi (Sindoor was being traded, and the PM stayed silent… we won’t tolerate a deal at the cost of the nation’s honour).”

The Congress leader also reminded the public of Modi’s own words from his Gujarat CM days: “The problem isn’t at the border, it’s in Delhi.” Khera added, “That statement rings true today—the threat isn’t from across the border but from decisions being made in Delhi.”

Drawing parallels with the IC-814 hijacking incident of 1999, Khera accused the BJP government of once again aiding terrorist Masood Azhar—this time not by escorting him to Kandahar, but by giving him time to escape. “History is repeating itself, and the cost is being paid by the country,” he alleged.

He further recalled that former PM Morarji Desai, from the Janata Party (a predecessor of BJP), was once awarded Pakistan’s highest civilian honour for allegedly exposing Indian intelligence agents. “The BJP-RSS ecosystem has a troubling history when it comes to espionage,” Khera said, citing instances where BJP supporters were arrested for spying for Pakistan.

With less than a week left for the final phase of Lok Sabha elections, the explosive row has added fire to an already heated campaign. Whether the government responds or continues to maintain silence, as Jaishankar has done so far, remains to be seen—but the opposition isn’t backing down.

Also Read: US Secy. Of State Marco Rubio Talks With Jaishankar After Pakistani Army Chief