Foreign secretary Vikram Misri informed a parliamentary committee on Monday that India’s recent standoff with Pakistan was all in the conventional space and included no “nuclear signalling” from the other side, and that the military brass communicated only with Islamabad after Operation Sindoor had been launched, people familiar with the developments said.
During a parliamentary committee on external affairs meeting, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the foreign secretary stated that Pakistan made the ceasefire offer and that no other nation was a party to the talks, according to a senior legislator.
Misri Rejects Trump’s Mediation Claim
He was asked by many parliamentarians about US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington had helped India and Pakistan “settle” the “problem”.
“New Delhi had routine talks with the US but there was no mediation,” Misri said, according to the lawmaker. He also found strong support from the lawmakers, over his family coming under attack on social media.
A few Opposition MPs also asked Misri why Jaishankar was heard saying in a video that India had sent a message to Pakistan at the beginning of Operation Sindoor.
Misri stood by Jaishankar and explained that people”misunderstood the context”, according to a party functionary, who did not want to be named. He informed the panel that the Indian director general of military operations communicated with his Pakistani counterpart upon the beginning of Operation Sindoor, according to the functionary.
Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism and MEA’s Rebuttal
Misri made the comments hours after Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, made a new attack on external affairs minister S Jaishankar, stating that the latter’s silence on how many planes India “lost” in the military strikes under Operation Sindoor was “damning”.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has already refuted the allegations first made over the weekend and described Gandhi’s claims that Jaishankar acknowledged India having alerted Pakistan before the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7 as “utter misrepresentation”. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused Gandhi of “speaking the language of Pakistan”.
Details of Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was India’s direct military action against the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir that took the lives of 26 civilians in what was the worst civilian massacre since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
India initiated the operation in the early hours of May 7 with nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) being bombed. The early morning attacks which claimed the lives of at least 100 terrorists triggered a cycle of counter-attacks and attacks along the western frontier, with fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and intense artillery and rocket exchanges. On one such counter-attack on May 9-10 night, the air force attacked 13 Pakistani airbases and military targets. The military hostilities were halted after four days of conflict on May 10 when the two countries reached an understanding.
Misri Faces Parliamentary Panel’s Questions
Misri made his first appearance in front of the 31-member parliamentary panel. The session lasted for over three hours as members posed a barrage of questions to the foreign secretary.
Misri was queried if Indian warplanes were brought down and why the Indian government was providing the centre stage to Trump and not denying the US President’s assertions, said the above-mentioned functionary. Misri did not provide any response to such questions, this individual added.
The experienced foreign service officer also received strong backing from the panel on the social media assaults on his family, particularly his daughter, attorney Didon Misri.
“There was even a desire to have a resolution expressing solidarity with the foreign secretary in the face of the unwarranted attacks on him. He himself requested there should be no resolution. But it was a unanimous sentiment of the committee that he has done a good service for the nation and we all stand with him,” Tharoor said after the meeting.
MPs Raise Questions on Missiles, IMF Loan, and International Support
Some parliamentarians questioned Misri about the use of Chinese missiles by the Pakistani military, according to functionaries. “It doesn’t matter. We have hammered them,” the foreign secretary retorted.
Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda questioned the number of aircraft that crashed, but Misri stuck to his guns saying only the ministry of defence could confirm that. Hooda also queried the International Monetary Fund loan obtained by Pakistan during the course of the conflict, the person added. The foreign secretary replied that other nations too have interactions with Pakistan when he was questioned as to why no big nation supported India, the functionary added.
India-Turkey Relations Brought Up by Owaisi
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi pointed out India and Turkey’s historical links to Mistri and inquired whether the relationship can be repaired in the wake of Istanbul’s support for Islamabad. The foreign secretary replied that in the past India didn’t share “a good relationship” with Turkey and there was no possibility of improvement in the near term. He, however, declined to comment on the calls for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Banerjee, Brittas Question Response and US Role in Ceasefire
Trinamool Congress’s Abhishek Banerjee questioned Misri why Indian troops could not apprehend the four terrorists who had killed 26 individuals in Pahalgam, the individual said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s John Brittas questioned how the US declared the ceasefire ahead of India, and it did know. Misri replied that India did not inform the US, stated the party cadre.
After the meeting, Tharoor said “many MPs had thoughtful questions to ask. It was a very thorough, wide ranging discussion. We had 24 members attending which was a record I think,” he said.
Misri’s briefing came days before seven Indian delegations embark on their travels to international capitals to disseminate India’s stance on Operation Sindoor.
