Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened the Lok Sabha debate on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, stating that the Opposition was focusing on the wrong issues. Here’s how he responded to three major questions raised:
- Was there an intelligence failure behind the attack?
Rajnath Singh avoided giving details about how the attack happened or what investigations had revealed so far. He did not directly address whether there was any lapse in intelligence. - Did the Air Force lose any fighter jets?
This question gained traction after Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chouhan, on June 1, acknowledged the Air Force lost jets on May 7 during the operation. However, he also said the forces quickly adapted and caused significant damage to Pakistani airbases.
In Parliament, Singh did not give a direct answer. Instead, he said:
“In any exam, what matters is the result, not whether a pen or pencil was lost during it. Similarly, the focus should be on the outcome — and the outcome is that Operation Sindoor was a complete success.”
He added:
“The Opposition is busy asking how many of our planes were downed, but never ask how many Pakistani jets were destroyed. That should be the question. The real issues are:
Did we destroy terror bases? Yes.
Was Operation Sindoor successful? Yes.
Were the masterminds behind attacks on our sisters and daughters eliminated? Yes.
Did we suffer any major losses? No.
These are the answers the nation deserves.”
- Did the US (Trump administration) pressure India into a ceasefire?
Responding to claims that the US pressured India to stop the offensive on May 10, Singh rejected them outright:
“We halted the operation because our military and political objectives had been achieved.
To say we stopped because of outside pressure is completely baseless and false.”
He clarified that the aim was not to occupy land, but to destroy terror camps Pakistan had been sheltering for years. The forces had full freedom to choose their targets, and the mission was to force Pakistan to back down — not to start a war.
“After our strong strikes, Pakistan realized the consequences and asked for a halt: ‘Please stop, this is enough.’ We agreed — with a condition:
The operation is paused, not ended.
If Pakistan tries anything again, the operation will resume immediately.”