Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The Congress on Thursday (May 7, 2026) took a swipe at the Centre on the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, alleging that despite India’s extensive diplomatic outreach after the military operation, Pakistan had not been isolated internationally as it was after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
“In spite of extensive diplomatic outreach by India, Pakistan did not get isolated as it had been following the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. On the contrary, its Army Chief Asim Munir has been embraced with extraordinary warmth by U.S. President Donald Trump from June 2025 onwards and the world’s leading sponsor of cross-border terrorism, namely Pakistan, has come in for praise from the U.S. military establishment,” Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
Recalling developments surrounding the operation, Mr. Ramesh said the first announcement of the ceasefire that halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, had come from then U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 5.37 p.m. IST.
“As we celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of Operation Sindoor and salute the achievements of our armed forces, it would be useful to recall” a number of developments linked to the operation, he added.
He claimed that Mr. Trump had repeatedly asserted that his intervention led to the ceasefire, and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had never publicly refuted the claim.
The Congress leader also referred to remarks made by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in Singapore on May 30, 2025, in which he acknowledged that India had suffered initial losses due to tactical errors before adapting and carrying out precision strikes inside Pakistan.
Mr. Ramesh further cited comments made by India’s defence attache in Indonesia in June 2025, as well as statements by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Rahul Singh in July 2025 highlighting China’s role in supporting Pakistan during the conflict through equipment, ammunition and real-time intelligence inputs.
“Calibrated capitulation”
Alleging that the Modi government continued a policy of “calibrated capitulation” towards China, Mr. Ramesh pointed to issues including the loss of traditional patrolling rights in Ladakh, rising Chinese imports and relaxation of foreign direct investment norms.
Drawing a comparison with the aftermath of the Kargil War, Mr. Ramesh noted that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had constituted the Kargil Review Committee under strategic affairs expert K. Subrahmanyam to review the conflict and recommend reforms.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. India carried out airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering a military escalation between the two countries before hostilities ended on May 10 following talks between military officials.
Published – May 07, 2026 09:47 pm IST
