Cong seeks discussion in Parliament on China's 'support' to Pak in Operation Sindoor

Ramesh said engineers from Aviation Industry Corporation of Chinas Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of Chinas advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design, confirmed they provided technical support to the Pakistani Air Force.

The Congress on Saturday demanded a discussion in Parliament on claims made by China that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor last year. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the Narendra Modi government asking why investment and trade curbs on China are being loosened and why the government is seeking to deepen India's industrial dependency on China. ''As the Modi Government follows a 4C policy - Continuing Callibrated Capitulation to China - comes confirmation of China's pivotal role in Pakistan's response to Operation Sindoor,'' he said in a post on X. Ramesh said engineers from Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China's advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design, confirmed they provided technical support to the Pakistani Air Force. ''This has not been a secret. It was Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh who had first publicly revealed details of China's pivotal real-time role on July 4 2025. This raises the 4-Whys. ''Why did our Prime Minister - he of the 5.6 inch chest and the tear-stricken lal aankh - give a clean chit to China on June 19 2020 and completely undercut our negotiating position,'' he asked. The Congress leader also asked why the Modi government agreed to the loss of our traditional patrolling and herding rights in very many places in Ladakh. ''Why has the Modi government failed to even whimper against such an openly hostile action from the Chinese Government during Operation Sindoor? ''Why are investment and trade curbs on China being loosened and why is the Government seeking to deepen our industrial dependency on China with imports reaching record levels? ''These issues must be discussed in Parliament,'' Ramesh said in his post. The questions by Congress came after China, for the first time, confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India last year. China's state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China's advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design. Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV. Pakistan's air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an AVIC subsidiary.