The Congress launched a comprehensive attack on the Central government on Friday, holding it responsible for what it described as significant diplomatic failures following Operation Sindoor. Senior party figures criticised the foreign policy strategy of the ruling administration, pointing to a lack of international support and strengthening ties between Pakistan and other nations in the aftermath of the military operation.
Speaking to a news agency, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the government of allowing diplomatic momentum to slip in favour of Pakistan.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The outcome of our flawed foreign policy became clear after the Pahalgam incident and during Operation Sindoor. Not a single country declared Pakistan a terrorist state. This is the direct consequence of your failed foreign policy. When Operation Sindoor was launched, no foreign government issued a statement supporting India,&rdquo; he said.
Khera noted a series of developments that he said highlighted India&rsquo;s isolation. &ldquo;Now, following Operation Sindoor, Kuwait has removed visa restrictions on Pakistan. Iran, the UAE, and other Gulf nations are entering into agreements with Pakistan. The most startling development came yesterday, when Russia signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan to revive its old steel mill, through which Pakistan is set to receive $2.6 billion from Russia,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;
He repeated, &ldquo;This is the result of your failed foreign policy.&rdquo;
Khera also rejected comments made by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, stood by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and reaffirmed the Congress&rsquo; right to scrutinise and question the government's actions.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was part of an all-party delegation to Colombia, expressed concern over the Colombian government's expression of sympathy for those who died in Pakistan during India&rsquo;s counterstrike on May 7. &ldquo;There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend,&rdquo; said Tharoor, referring to India's response following the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam.&nbsp;
He added, &ldquo;We were only exercising our right of self-defence.&rdquo;
Tharoor further accused Pakistan of providing support to terrorist elements, sharing photographs purportedly showing uniformed Pakistani officials participating in the funerals of militants. &ldquo;That is the extent of complicity,&rdquo; he remarked, asserting that Operation Sindoor was aimed at targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a speech in Gujarat, stated that the military operation had been filmed to ensure &ldquo;no one at home asks for proof.&rdquo; He remarked, &ldquo;Until now, what we used to call a proxy war, after the scenes witnessed post-May 6, we can no longer make the mistake of calling it a proxy war.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Modi also said that those killed in the strikes were honoured with military funerals in Pakistan, suggesting official involvement by the Pakistani state.
In response, Congress questioned why several high-profile militants remained at large. &ldquo;To date, we have not received an answer to that &ndash; What happened to the terrorists of Poonch, Ganderbal, Gulmarg and Pahalgam?... How did Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar escape?&rdquo; Khera asked.&nbsp;
He further accused the government of delegating core responsibilities to non-official actors, stating, &ldquo;This government has outsourced the entire politics, political discourse, foreign policy to trolls.&rdquo;
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi added to the criticism by alleging that Pakistan had been informed in advance of India&rsquo;s military action. Sharing an earlier video of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on May 17, Gandhi claimed, &ldquo;Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.&rdquo;&nbsp;
In a follow-up post on May 27, Gandhi questioned the cost of the alleged forewarning, asking, &ldquo;How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew?&rdquo;
The Ministry of External Affairs refuted Gandhi&rsquo;s accusation, describing it as a &ldquo;misrepresentation of facts.&rdquo; According to the ministry, the warning to Pakistan occurred &ldquo;in the early phase after Operation Sindoor&rsquo;s commencement,&rdquo; and not prior to the operation.
Congress also invoked comments by former United States President Donald Trump, who claimed to have mediated ceasefire discussions between India and Pakistan.&nbsp;
Calling Trump&rsquo;s remarks &ldquo;a very dangerous comment,&rdquo; Khera alleged secret dealings, stating, &ldquo;sindoor ka sauda hota raha aur pradhan mantri chup rahe,&rdquo; implying that negotiations took place quietly while the Prime Minister remained silent.
&nbsp;
(With inputs from agencies)
&nbsp;

Congress leaders cite lack of global support and closer Pakistan ties as signs of India's diplomatic setbacks.

No Global Backing Post Sindoor, Says Congress

Congress leaders cite lack of global support and closer Pakistan ties as signs of India's diplomatic setbacks.

May 30, 2025 | 22:29 IST

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