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
- 14 May 2025 3:12 PM IST
Use of technology played key role in operation Sindoor: Ashwini Vaishnaw
“You have seen the use of technology in operation Sindoor,” says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
- 14 May 2025 2:30 PM IST
MP Minister's remark on Colonel Qureshi: Congress holds protests in Indore
Congress on Wednesday staged protests here against Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah over his objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Colonel Sofia Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists".
Shah, the tribal affairs minister, should be sacked from the cabinet, the opposition party demanded.
During a demonstration led by the Congress Mahila Morcha (women's wing) at the Regal square, party workers shouted slogans against the minister and burned his effigy.
They also held a banner which described Col Qureshi as "Bharat ki Sherni" (India's tigress).
"Shah has made a very objectionable statement about a woman army officer. We demand that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should immediately remove him from the cabinet," said city Congress president Surjit Singh Chaddha.
In another protest by the Congress elsewhere in the city, party workers poured milk on Col Qureshi's picture in a gesture of reverence, and demanded that Shah be sacked.
- 14 May 2025 2:00 PM IST
He is a fool: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on MP Minister's remark on Colonel Qureshi
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday condemned Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's controversial remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a senior Army officer who briefed the media along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh during Operation Sindoor.
Naqvi called the minister a "fool".
Shah has sparked a major controversy with objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Colonel Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists." After drawing severe flak, the Madhya Pradesh minister said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
Commenting on Shah's remarks, Naqvi told PTI Videos, "Wo bewakoof hain (He is a fool)." "Kutch log josh mein hosh khone ke aadi ban gaye hain (Some people have become habitual of losing sense in enthusiasm)," he added.
Terming the remarks "unacceptable and condemnable", Naqvi said Shah has become a "laughing stock" by making such comments against Colonel Qureshi whose entire family remained committed to national security and that the country salutes them for their nationalist resolve.
- 14 May 2025 1:50 PM IST
Northern Army Commander briefs J-K LG on security situation
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma on Wednesday called on Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha here and briefed him on the prevailing security scenario in the union territory.
The meeting was held at the Raj Bhavan, an official spokesperson said.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C), Northern Command, Lt Gen Sharma apprised Sinha of the latest developments and different aspects pertaining to the prevailing security situation in the valley, the spokesperson said.
He said Lt Gen Sharma was accompanied by Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava, GoC 15 Corps.
- 14 May 2025 1:45 PM IST
Operation Sindoor: Air Marshal Bharti’s role makes his native village in Bihar proud
As India’s armed forces executed precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK during ‘Operation Sindoor’, one village in Bihar stood a little taller.
Jhunni Kalan, the ancestral home of Director General of Air Operations (DGAO) Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, has become the epicentre of pride, as the decorated officer helped script one of the Indian Air Force’s most daring counter-terror operations.
‘Operation Sindoor’, launched by the Indian armed forces on May 7, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 lives were lost.
Locals describe Air Marshal Bharti’s pivotal role as a moment of immense pride not only for Jhunni Kalan, but for the entire Purnea district.
"It’s a matter of great pride for me, for the villagers and for the entire country that our armed forces gave a befitting reply to Pakistani forces and terrorists," said Jeevachhlal Yadav, Bharti’s father and a retired state irrigation department employee.
"Our forces displayed great courage during 'Operation Sindoor', and my son played a crucial role. The villagers are elated — our chests are swelling with pride. He has been a disciplined human being since childhood," he added.
Yadav said his son had not mentioned anything about the operation during a recent call.
"I came to know about his role from neighbours in Srinagar Hata, Purnea town and from villagers. People have been calling and visiting to congratulate us." Bharti's mother Urmila Devi said,
- 14 May 2025 1:25 PM IST
J-K CM visits shelling affected areas, promises help to rebuild houses
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday assured every possible help to rebuild homes of people affected by Pakistani shelling near the Line of Control and said "the pain of my people is deeply personal".
Abdullah visited the shelling affected areas of Uri, including Salamabad, Lagama, Bandi and Gingal in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The chief minister has been visiting the shelling affected areas of the Union Territory to take stock of the situation, get a first-hand account of the losses suffered by the people, and share their pain.
