Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. | Photo credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Congress hit out at the Center on Thursday (May 7, 2026) to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, saying that despite India’s extensive diplomatic outreach after the military operation, Pakistan was not internationally isolated as it was after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
“Despite extensive diplomatic outreach by India, Pakistan has not been isolated as it was after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack. On the contrary, its army chief Asim Munir has been given an extraordinary warm welcome by US President Donald Trump since June 2025, and the world’s leading sponsor of the cross-border military establishment, the General Congress, has received praise from Pakistan for covert terrorism. (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said in post on X.
Recalling the developments surrounding the operation, Mr. Ramesh said that the first announcement of a ceasefire that halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025 came from the then US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 17:37 IST.
“As we celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of Operation Sindoor and pay tribute to the achievements of our armed forces, it would be useful to recall” a number of events related to the operation, he added.
He claimed that Mr Trump had repeatedly claimed that his intervention had led to the ceasefire and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had never publicly refuted the claim.
The Congress leader also referred to Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan’s remarks in Singapore on May 30, 2025, in which he acknowledged that India suffered initial losses due to tactical errors before adjusting and carrying out precision strikes inside Pakistan.
Mr. Ramesh further cited the June 2025 comments of India’s defense attache to Indonesia, as well as the July 2025 statement by Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh, which highlighted China’s role in supporting Pakistan during the conflict through equipment, munitions and real-time intelligence inputs.
“Calibrated Surrender”
Claiming that the Modi government was pursuing a policy of “calibrated capitulation” to China, Mr Ramesh pointed to issues including the loss of traditional patrolling rights in Ladakh, rising Chinese imports and the relaxation of FDI norms.
Comparing the aftermath of the Kargil war, Mr. Ramesh noted that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had set up the Kargil Review Committee, headed by strategic affairs expert K. Subrahmanyam, to review the conflict and recommend reforms.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on 7 May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. India carried out airstrikes against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sparking a military escalation between the two countries before ending hostilities on 10 May following talks between military officials.
Published – 07 May 2026 21:47 IST
