An interview given by India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, has been making the rounds on social media, drawing sharp criticism for his “unresponsive answers” to several essential questions posed by the host regarding India’s retaliation against Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam attack. Jaishankar was speaking in an interview conducted in the Netherlands.
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, listed three key questions he has repeatedly raised since Operation Sindoor. Sharing a clip from Jaishankar’s interview, he challenged the External Affairs Minister to explain: Why has India been hyphenated with Pakistan? Why didn’t a single country support India in condemning Pakistan? And who asked former U.S. President Donald Trump to “mediate” between India and Pakistan?
When asked by the interviewer, “Where was the U.S. in the process?” Jaishankar replied, “Well…the U.S. was in the U.S.,” adding that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar said it was natural for two countries (India and the U.S.) to consider what they could do in such a situation but firmly asserted that the cessation of fire and military action between Pakistan and India had been negotiated directly, without external mediation. However, he did not respond when asked whether the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack had been caught.
The interview has sparked a massive backlash online. In the discussion, Jaishankar explained the details of the attack and even showed the host a document listing “terrorists and terror groups in Pakistan.” He also described Operation Sindoor and elaborated on the retaliation by the Pakistan army.
Despite this, Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have expressed full support for the operation, which targeted Pakistan’s so-called “centres of terrorism,” saying that this is a time to stand united as a nation. However, Gandhi has continued to press the government on critical questions, particularly after Trump publicly claimed to have mediated a ceasefire between the two countries to prevent escalation into war, raising concerns about the U.S. role and India’s foreign policy stance.
Meanwhile, the Central Government has announced that an all-party delegation, including 59 Members of Parliament, will be sent to 32 countries. According to the government, this diplomatic push is aimed at exposing Pakistan’s involvement in terrorism and rallying global support against it.
