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 3:23 AM
Hope parties will use deal for outstanding issues: UN spokesperson on India, Pak ceasefire
With India and Pakistan having reached an understanding to end hostilities “we're in a better place,” a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said and hoped the countries would use it to deal with their “outstanding issues”.
“The ceasefire is holding. I think we have seen we're in a better place than we were before. We hope that the ceasefire will continue to hold, and we hope that the parties will use this to deal with a lot of the outstanding issues between them,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Tuesday.
Guterres had earlier welcomed the “ceasefire” agreement between India and Pakistan, describing it as a “positive step” toward ending current hostilities and easing tensions.
Guterres said he hopes “the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,” Dujarric had said in a statement on Saturday.
- 14 May 2025 1:42 AM
Pakistan declares an Indian diplomat 'persona non grata', asks to leave within 24 hours
Pakistan on Tuesday declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission here "persona non grata" for engaging in activities what it called "incompatible" with his privileged status.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the concerned official has been directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours.
"The Government of Pakistan has declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad, as persona non grata for engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status," it said.
It added that the Indian Charge d’Affaires was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday for a démarche, conveying this decision.
Earlier, India expelled a Pakistani official working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for allegedly indulging in espionage.
