Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal and others during a party meeting at AICC office, in New Delhi, Wednesday, May 14. PTI
India-Pak conflict: Congress to take out rallies to question PM's 'silence' on Trump's ceasefire claims
A CWC resolution was adopted at the meeting which said the attack in Pahalgam raises "deeply troubling" questions about an "apparent intelligence failure"
The Congress on Wednesday (May 14) accused the BJP of "politicising" Operation Sindoor and said it would take out rallies across the country to question the Prime Minister's "silence" on US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting attended by several Congress Working Committee members and senior leaders, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh and Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the BJP was trying to make the military action a "brand" for itself when the operation belongs to the armed forces and the country.
'Jai Hind Sabhas'
The Congress announced that in the coming days, 'Jai Hind Sabhas' will be held in various states to demand answers from the government and party leader Rahul Gandhi will address a press conference here on Friday.
The Congress made the assertions after the meeting that was attended by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Ramesh, K C Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sachin Pilot, among others, at its 24, Akbar Road office here. Gandhi chaired the proceedings as Kharge was not present due to personal reasons.
A CWC resolution was adopted at the meeting which said the attack in Pahalgam raises "deeply troubling" questions about an "apparent intelligence failure".
Earlier, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (May 13) once again claimed that his administration "successfully brokered a historic ceasefire" by using trade as a means stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan.
"As I said in my inaugural address, my greatest hope is to be a peacemaker and to be a unifier. I don't like war. We have the greatest military, by the way, in the history of the world,” Trump said while speaking at a Saudi-US investment forum in the Saudi capital.
‘I said trade, and it all stopped’
"Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan," he claimed.
“And I used trade to a large extent to do it. And I said, ‘Fellows, come on. Let's make a deal. Let's do some trading,” Trump said to applause from the high-level audience, which included billionaire Elon Musk. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also applauded.
“Let's not trade nuclear missiles. Let's trade the things that you make so beautifully. And they both have very powerful leaders, very strong leaders, good leaders, smart leaders. And it all stopped. Hopefully, it'll remain that way, but it all stopped," Trump said.
No middleman involved in truce, says India
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on Saturday to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Indian government sources in New Delhi have been maintaining that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect. They said no third party was involved.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also seemed to reject Trump's forceful comments that Washington brokered the truce between India and Pakistan.
Jaiswal said India has a "longstanding" national position that any issue relating to it will have to be addressed by New Delhi and Islamabad bilaterally.
"That stated policy (on Jammu and Kashmir) has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan," he said.
‘Punitive action against Pak to continue’
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday said the punitive diplomatic and economic measures it announced against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), will remain in place.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India will keep the IWT in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
He said the treaty was concluded in a spirit of goodwill and friendship, but Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance by promoting cross-border terrorism.
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Live Updates
- 15 May 2025 7:02 AM IST
X account of China’s Global Times restored in India
The X account handles of Chinese media houses Global Times and Xinhua on Wednesday morning showed that they have been withheld in India in response to a legal request.
In the evening, however, the X account of Global Times was restored.
During the recent military conflict with Pakistan, the Indian government on May 8 ordered to block around 8,000 accounts on X, including those belonging to some media houses in “unfriendly” countries.
The handles of Global Times and Xinhua were also blocked as part of the exercise.
While the Global Times account was seen working on Wednesday evening, the X handle of Xinhua continued to remain blocked.
The Xinhua account continued to display a message that it has been withheld in India in response to a legal request.
Government sources told PTI that certain issues have been communicated to the blocked account, which will be restored once the concerns are addressed.
- 15 May 2025 6:59 AM IST
10,000 people take part in ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Raipur
Nearly 10,000 people took part in a Tiranga Yatra in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur on Wednesday to celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor and honour the courage and valour of the armed forces.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who also took part in the procession, said today’s India can give a befitting reply to any misadventure against it.
The yatra was taken from Marine Drive to Nagar Ghadi Chowk, with people waving Indian flags and chanting patriotic slogans.
Around 10,000 people from different sections of society, including retired army personnel and social workers, participated in the Tiranga Yatra and gave the message of unity and patriotism, an official statement said.
- 15 May 2025 6:56 AM IST
Military top brass highlights synergy during Op Sindoor
The Indian military’s top brass has highlighted the synergy between the Army, Air Force and the Navy during Operation Sindoor.
In a gathering of veterans and representatives of various think-tanks, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi spoke of India’s decisive military operation.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, in a post on X, shared some photos of the meeting that took place at the Manekshaw Centre at Delhi Cantonment.
During the nearly 30-minute closed-door briefing held by Lt Gen D S Rana, Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency, the “relentless anti-India misinformation campaign conducted by the adversary and its ramifications on regional peace and stability” was also highlighted, according to officials.
A top officer of the Indian armed forces on Tuesday briefed a gathering of foreign defence attaches on the “successful conduct” of Operation Sindoor, which it said has set “new normals in India-Pakistan relations”, highlighting the country’s strength and national resolve through military superiority in the “new-age warfare”.
- 15 May 2025 6:48 AM IST
TDP to hold Tiranga rallies across Andhra
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has announced state-wide Tiranga rallies in Andhra Pradesh from May 16 to 18 to honour the Pahalgam terror attack victims and support the Centre’s actions that followed.
The decision was taken during a politburo meeting chaired by TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, where leaders paid tributes to the 26 people killed in the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
The party also urged its cadres to participate in local events and coordinate with the district authorities to ensure that the rallies are peaceful and impactful. - 14 May 2025 10:18 PM IST
Uma Bharti calls for MP minister Shah's sacking
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti supports calls for the sacking of Kunwar Vijay Shah as minister in the MP government and registration of FIR against him. Shah has been under fire for his obnoxious remarks against Col Sofiya Qureshi. Earlier today, the MP High Court had also ordered registration of an FIR against Shah, an 8-term MLA and the BJP's tribal face in MP, for his offensive comments.
- 14 May 2025 10:17 PM IST
Tharoor crossed 'lakshman rekha' with comments on India-Pak conflict: Cong sources
The Congress is a democratic party in which leaders express their views freely, but Shashi Tharoor has crossed the 'lakshman rekha' with his repeated comments on the India-Pakistan conflict, party sources said on Wednesday.
The sources made the assertion after a meeting of senior leaders, including Tharoor, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sachin Pilot, among others, at its 24, Akbar Road office here.
"We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinion, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the lakshman rekha," a party source said.
The sources said, without naming anyone, the party leadership sent a "clear message" during the meeting that this is not a time of airing individual views but for amplifying the party's stand.
Asked about Tharoor's comments being at odds with the party's stand, Ramesh said at a media briefing, "That is his opinion. When Mr. Tharoor speaks, it does not reflect the views of the party." Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that are at variance with the party's stand, which has been questioning the government over US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries. PTI
- 14 May 2025 8:36 PM IST
India had a "clear edge" in targeting Pakistan's military facilities: NYT
India appears to have had a "clear edge" in targeting Pakistan's military facilities and airfields during the recent four-day confrontation, the New York Times reported, citing satellite images.
High-resolution satellite imagery, from before and after the strikes, shows "clear damage" to Pakistan's facilities by Indian attacks, according to the report.
"The four-day military clash between India and Pakistan was the most expansive fighting in half a century between the two nuclear-armed countries. As both sides used drones and missiles to test each other’s air defences and hit military facilities, they claimed to inflict severe damage,” the report said.
It added that satellite imagery indicates that while the attacks were widespread, the damage was far more contained than claimed — “and appeared mostly inflicted by India on Pakistani facilities.” In the new age of high-tech warfare, the report said that strikes by both sides, verified by the imagery, appeared to be precisely targeted.
"Where India appears to have had a clear edge is in its targeting of Pakistan’s military facilities and airfields, as the latter stretch of fighting shifted from symbolic strikes and shows of force to attacks on each other’s defence capabilities,” the report said.
At Bholari air base, located less than 100 miles from the Pakistani port city of Karachi, India's defence officials said they had struck an aircraft hangar with a precision attack. “The visuals showed clear damage to what looks like a hangar,” the NYT report said.
Further, the Nur Khan air base, within a roughly 15-mile range of both the Pakistani Army's headquarters and the office of the country's prime minister and a short distance from the unit that oversees and protects Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, was “perhaps the most sensitive military target that India struck.” The Indian military said it had particularly targeted the runways and other facilities at some of Pakistan’s key air bases and “satellite images showed the damage”, the report said, noting that on May 10, Pakistan issued a notice for the Rahim Yar Khan air base saying that the runway was not operational.
At Sargodha air base, in Punjab Province in Pakistan, the Indian military said it had used precision weapons to strike two sections of the runway.
"Satellite images of the sites Pakistan claimed to have hit are limited, and so far do not clearly show damage caused by Pakistani strikes even at bases where there was corroborating evidence of some military action.” On the Pakistani officials’ claim that their forces had “destroyed” India’s Udhampur air base, the NYT report said “an image from May 12 does not appear to show damage.” India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
- 14 May 2025 8:16 PM IST
Here is the full text of Congress Working Committee's restitution
The Congress Working Committee expresses its deepest condolences to the martyred soldiers, officers, civilians killed in Poonch, and their families. The nation stands united in grief and resolve. The Indian armed forces have time and again risen to the occasion, defending the sovereignty and integrity of our nation with valour. The Congress Party reiterates its complete support to our armed forces.
However, the attack in Pahalgam raises deeply troubling questions about an apparent intelligence failure. Despite heightened tensions and known threats in the region, the terrorists managed to execute a major attack, claiming precious lives. While we wait for an official assessment, it is unfortunate that no accountability has yet been fixed. The terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack remain at large, and the Congress Working Committee demands their immediate apprehension and prosecution. The government must explain how such a lapse was allowed to occur and why necessary preventive measures were not taken despite clear warnings. National security cannot be managed through public relations exercises on television, it demands professional rigour, vigilance, and institutional accountability.
Equally surprising was the abrupt end to India's retaliatory action against Pakistan, which has left behind a trail of unanswered questions. The sudden halt, without clarity or communication, has led to speculation and concern across the country. Adding to this is the deeply problematic statement by the U.S. President Donald Trump, who was the first to claim that a ceasefire was brokered with the use of trade threats and pressure on India. The Government of India’s silence on this matter is inexplicable and unacceptable. Successive Indian governments, cutting across party lines, have firmly maintained that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. President Trump’s assertion, unchallenged by the Modi Government, has internationalised a matter that must remain firmly within bilateral frameworks. This represents a dangerous and unprecedented hyphenation of India with Pakistan, which compromises our national position and prestige.
The Congress Working Committee also strongly condemns the appalling statements of a senior BJP Minister towards a senior woman Army officer. Such behaviour is not only disgraceful but undermines the dignity of our armed forces and the principles of gender respect within the military. The CWC demands his immediate resignation and calls upon the government to initiate strict action under applicable laws.
In view of these grave concerns, the Congress Working Committee reiterates the demands already put forward by the Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi—for an immediate all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the convening of a special session of Parliament. At this time of national crisis, the government must take the Opposition and the people of India into confidence. Transparency, unity, and democratic dialogue are not weaknesses, but are the bedrock of strong and effective governance. The nation deserves answers, not evasion.
Since April 22, we have consistently advocated for unity and solidarity. Yet, on the 25th of this month, the Prime Minister has convened a meeting exclusively with NDA Chief Ministers. This is a blatant attempt to politicise the operation. Why has he not attended a single all-party meeting so far? At a time like this, he should have convened a meeting of all Chief Ministers, cutting across party lines.
- 14 May 2025 7:52 PM IST
Two more arrested in Assam over 'anti-India' activities: CM
Two more persons have been apprehended in Assam for "anti-India" activities on social media, taking the total number of such arrests to 60 so far in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.
The police arrested Sahin Ahmed Mazumdar from Hailakandi and Intesab Ahmed Laskar from Cachar district, the chief minister posted on X.
"Crackdown down on Anti-nationals continue. Based on their anti-India activities on social media, @assampolice has picked up two people," Sarma posted.
Earlier, two more persons were arrested from Sonitpur district, the CM had posted.
"58 Pak sympathisers are behind bars. They will also receive special care for their anti-national activities," he said.
Sarma said the state-wide crackdown on traitors will continue and "nobody will be spared".
