Before launching ‘Operation Sindoor’, India informed Pak: EAM Jaishankar

NEW DELHI — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday said that before launching “Operation Sindoor”, they had sent a message to Pakistan that India is striking at “terrorist infrastructure” and not at the military installations.

Talking to reporters here, Jaishankar, according to the news agency KNO, said, “We had told them that their military has an option of standing out and not interfering, but they chose not to take the good advice.”

He said, “They got hit as badly as they did on the morning of May 10, all have seen the satellite pictures. These images reveal how much damage we did and how little damage they did. These pictures tell what a hit they took. The same people who were not ready to stand down on May 7 were willing to talk and stand on May 10. It’s very clear who wanted the cessation of firing.”

His comments came in response to claims by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington played a role in facilitating the ceasefire between the two countries.

Without directly naming the US President, Jaishankar clarified that the decision to halt hostilities followed a pattern of events that pointed clearly to one side’s willingness to de-escalate.

On May 7, Indian forces carried out precision strikes on “terror infrastructure” in Pakistan as a response to the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.

Referring to the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, he said it will remain suspended and won’t resume until “cross-border terrorism” is brought to a credible and permanent end.

Addressing questions related to ongoing India-US trade discussions, Jaishankar said that trade talks were independent of the ceasefire developments. “Negotiations have been ongoing. These are complex processes where nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Any agreement must be beneficial to both sides. Until then, any conclusions would be premature,” he said.

He also reaffirmed that India’s policy on Pakistan remains unchanged, and any talks or resolutions would be conducted strictly on a bilateral basis. “This has been a consistent national position for years and there is no change in that,” he said, adding, “Talks with Pakistan will only be held on PoK and terrorism.”

“Pakistan has a list of terrorists who need to be handed over. They have to shut down terrorist infrastructure, and they know what to do,” he said. “New Delhi is prepared to discuss with Islamabad what is to be done on terrorism.”