New Delhi, May 13: The Congress Party on Tuesday emphasized that its repeated calls for an all-party meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a special session of Parliament have become even more urgent in light of recent developments and statements coming out of Washington, D.C.
The opposition party also questioned whether the Modi government would establish a review panel akin to the Kargil Review Committee formed by the Vajpayee administration shortly after the Kargil conflict ended in 1999.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out in a post on X that the Vajpayee government had set up the Kargil Review Committee just three days after the war concluded on July 29, 1999. The committee, chaired by strategic expert K. Subrahmanyam—father of India’s current External Affairs Minister—submitted its report to Parliament in February 2000, though some parts remain classified.
Ramesh asked whether the Modi government plans to conduct a similar comprehensive review concerning the recent developments in Pahalgam, despite an ongoing probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
He reiterated that Congress’s push for a Prime Minister-led all-party meeting and a special parliamentary session—still over two months away—has become even more critical in view of statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump claimed his administration had intervened to prevent a “nuclear conflict” between India and Pakistan, and that the U.S. offered trade incentives to both countries to stop their hostilities. At a White House press briefing, Trump said that under his leadership, a swift ceasefire was brokered between the two nuclear-armed nations following several days of cross-border drone and missile exchanges.
According to Indian sources, the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both sides had reached a mutual agreement to cease all military actions across land, sea, and air, without any third-party involvement.
Trump, however, maintained that the U.S. played a key role in persuading both countries to de-escalate. He credited trade incentives as a major factor, claiming that he told India and Pakistan they would receive favorable trade deals only if they ceased their conflict.
“We helped a lot,” Trump said. “Trade was a big reason. People have never used trade like I did. And it worked.”
