Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the all-party meeting that at least 100 terrorists, including ‘high value target terrorists’, were killed in strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces on terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). On Wednesday, May 7, India had launched targeted strikes on terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’. The briefing took place during an all-party meeting convened on Thursday, May 8, following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
This was the second such meeting called by the Union government in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. According to sources, the government told the political leaders at the meeting that its intended objectives had been achieved through the operation and that it did not intend to escalate further.
Rajnath Singh reportedly stated that the government’s preliminary assessment suggested that several hardcore terrorists were among those killed in the strikes, and that further assessment is underway. Opposition MPs we spoke to said the government was unwilling to divulge many details, stressing that withholding such information was crucial for national security. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "The Defence Minister informed leaders that this was an ongoing operation, hence can't give a technical briefing.”
While leaders from several parties expressed support for the government’s response, Opposition MPs also raised a number of concerns. One issue was the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the all party meeting for the second time. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked why the Prime Minister had not attended, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi remarked that the absence sent a “negative signal.”
Several MPs, including Kharge, brought up reports by international media platforms that five Indian jets, including a Rafale jet, had been shot down by Pakistan during the operation. A CNN report attributed to a high-ranking French intelligence official alleged that at least one Rafale jet was downed.
Speaking to TNM, CPI(M) MP John Brittas said the government did not divulge any details regarding these claims.
Several MPs had demanded that the Union government should convene a special session of the parliament to discuss the Pahalgam issue and the aftermath. Sources told TNM that the Union government was not so keen on accepting this suggestion and was ‘non-committal’.
MPs from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC) urged the Union government to issue clear instructions to ruling party members who, they alleged, were attempting to frame the conflict with Pakistan in communal terms. The Opposition leaders warned that portraying the situation as a Hindu-Muslim issue could undermine national unity and defeat the broader purpose.
Opposition leaders also reportedly cautioned against further escalation, pointing out that prolonging the conflict would only bring “misery to both sides.”