After the announcement of an immediate and complete ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Congress and other opposition parties have demanded that the government convene an all-party meeting, and also call a special session of Parliament to discuss recent developments and the way forward.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday, May 11, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating the Opposition’s request for a special session of Parliament over the India-Pakistan conflict, a demand that has been voiced since the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
“I reiterate the unanimous request of the Opposition to convene a special session of Parliament immediately. It is crucial for the people and their representatives to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and today's ceasefire,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Congress president and LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also restated the demand, as did Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga Karti Chidambaram and other Congress leaders. Senior Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal insisted that the next all-party meeting must be called only with PM Modi’s participation.
The Union government had previously called two all-party meetings in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. Opposition leaders had expressed disappointment with PM Modi’s absence from both meetings.
Congress General Secretary and head of the party’s communications department, Jairam Ramesh, raised questions regarding the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan. “The Indian National Congress considers that the mention of "neutral site" by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for dialogue between India and Pakistan raises many questions. Have we abandoned the Simla Agreement? Have we opened the doors to third-party mediation?” he asked.
A day after the ceasefire pact was announced, United States President Donald Trump, who was the first person to make the announcement on May 10, claimed credit for de-escalating the India-Pakistan conflict. He also offered to mediate a resolution to the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
“The Indian National Congress would like to ask if diplomatic channels between India and Pakistan are being reopened? What commitments have we sought and got?” Jairam Ramesh asked.
Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s statement early on Sunday, May 11, Kapil Sibal said that it raises a lot of questions about the terms of the ceasefire agreement, adding that an all-party meeting should be convened and insisting that PM Modi must be present for it.
“So what happened [regarding India-Pakistan understanding], how and why, no information has been given to us regarding this... We will not issue any criticism today. We only want a special parliament session and an all-party meeting to be called. I want to appeal to all political parties not to attend the meeting until the government assures them that the Prime Minister will be present at the meeting as well,” he said.
Earlier on May 10, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had made a brief and measured statement confirming the ceasefire. He stated that the ceasefire had come into effect from 5 pm on May 10.
However, hours after the ceasefire agreement took effect, Pakistani forces violated the agreement by launching drone attacks and shelling Indian territories, Misri confirmed. Addressing a press conference late into the night of May 10, Misri said that Indian forces have been responding "adequately" to the Pakistani breaches.
The DGMOs (Directors General of Military Operations) from India and Pakistan are scheduled to speak again on May 12.
The backdrop to this ceasefire dates back to April 22, when a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of several Indian civilians. In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terrorist launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Subsequently, Pakistan carried out a series of attacks targeting Indian military installations and civilian areas using drones and missiles. The Indian Armed Forces said that they have neutralised the majority of these threats.
(With IANS inputs)