‘Misrepresented’: Indian mission in Indonesia clarifies Defence Attache’s remarks on Operation Sindoor at varsity
New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday termed media reports on Defence Attache Captain Shiv Kumar’s purported remarks on Operation Sindoor as “misrepresentation” as he expounded on the country’s anti-terrorism operation deep inside Pakistan on May 5.
The Defence Attache had made the remarks at a seminar in an Indonesian university.
“We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context, and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,” the Embassy said in a post on X.
It added that the presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership, unlike some other countries in India’s neighbourhood.
“It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure, and the Indian response was non-escalatory,” the Embassy said.
India has always stressed that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to destroy terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan, and the Indian response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists was non-escalatory.
However, the episode led to a fresh political spat in India with the opposition latching on to the controversy, and reiterating its demand for a special Parliament session to discuss ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The Congress hit out BJP-led government for what it alleged was “misleading” the country.
“First, the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then, a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in his post on X, referring to CDS, Gen Anil Chauhan’s remarks to the media during a security conclave in the city state.
“But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?” he added.