NEW DELHI: External affairs minister
S Jaishankar on Wednesday took a dig at the western hypocrisy during India's military response under
Operation Sindoor, declaring India does not need the West's free advice. "Why don't you look at your own region for levels of violence?" he remarked.
Speaking to members of the Indian community in Luxembourg, Jaishankar recalled that several nations offered unsolicited advice to the country during Operation Sindoor, India's military response launched in May 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
"Sometimes you hear people say, like it happened during Operation Sindoor. Now if you ask them, say, "oh really you're worried, why don't you look at your own region? And ask yourself, what are the levels of violence there."
"How much risks have been taken, how much worry the rest of us have about what you are doing. But that's the nature of the world. People, what they say is not what they do," he added.
Jaishankar further underlined that India will engage differently with different actors. "So those who are willing to work with us and be helpful, positive, we have to deal with them in that way," he said, adding "those who do the kind of things which Pakistan does, we have to deal with it in a different way."
Jaishankar also took a jibe on how the western countries often advise others on handling their internal or regional conflicts, suggesting such commentary is frequently detached from ground realities and offered without much thought.
"Now, to what extent do the developments in the rest of the world affect it? It's hard to say. People sitting far away will say things, sometimes with application of mind, sometimes not, sometimes with self-interest, sometimes carelessly. That will happen."
"I can tell you, whatever you might say, in this day and age, countries are more, I don't want to say they become more selfish, but they will do things only if it is of direct benefit to them. They'll offer you free advice. If something happens, say, no, please don't do that. It worries us if there is tension," he added.
US President Donald Trump had repeatedly claimed that Washington mediated the May 2025 India-Pakistan ceasefire, an assertion India has rejected.
New Delhi has maintained that the military pause followed a request from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart, not third-party intervention.
Further on the Venezuela crisis, Jaishankar said India's primary concern is the safety of the people following US military operations there.
"We are concerned about the developments, but we would really urge all the parties involved to now sit down and come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela, because at the end of the day, that is our concern," Jaishankar said.
"We would want Venezuela as a country with whom, over many, many years, we’ve had very good relations. So we would like the people to come out well, whatever the direction of events," he added.
His remarks came after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in Caracas and flown out of the country during a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement.
Follow Us On Social Media