'Follow Vajpayee...': Congress Demands For Kargil Committee-type Exercise On Pahalgam After Trump's Claim Of Brokering Ceasefire

New Delhi: The principal Opposition wondered whether the Modi government will follow the footsteps of the Vajpayee government to undertake an exercise on the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor that dismantled terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

The then Vajpayee government setup a review committee immediately after the Kargil war and the committee submitted its report in the Parliament 25 years ago. The committee was chaired by "India's strategic affairs guru K. Subrahmanyam, whose son is now India's External Affairs Minister," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said.

He wrote in a post in X reiterating the party's demands-- a Prime Minister Narendra Modi-chaired all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament-- which he said have assumed even greater urgency and importance in light of the statements from Washington DC.

"Three days after the Kargil War ended, the Vajpayee Government set up the Kargil Review Committee on July 29 1999. Its report was tabled in Parliament on February 23, 2000 although sections of it have remained classified - as indeed they must. Will the Modi government now conduct a similar exercise on Pahalgam, notwithstanding the NIA probe?" Ramesh said.

"Given the statements from Washington DC, the INC's repeated demands for an all-party meeting TO BE CHAIRED BY THE PM himself and for a special session of Parliament - which is now scheduled to meet at least two and a half months from now - assume even greater urgency and importance," he said on X.

Ramesh's remarks come a day after President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that his administration stopped a "nuclear conflict" between India and Pakistan, telling the South Asian neighbours that America will do a "lot of trade" with them if they end hostilities.

"On Saturday, my administration helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons," Trump said at the start of a press conference in the White House.

He started the briefing by describing the events that took place over the last few days in the Indian subcontinent.

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.

Trump said that India and Pakistan were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop.

"I'm very proud to let you know that the leadership of India and Pakistan was unwavering, powerful, but unwavering in both cases, having these they really were from the standpoint of having the strength and the wisdom and fortitude to fully know and to understand the gravity of the situation," Trump has said.

The US President said he told India and Pakistan that America will do "a lot of trade" with them if they stop the conflict.

"And we helped a lot, and we helped also with trade. I said, 'Come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let's stop it. Let's stop it. If you stop it, we're doing trade. If you don't stop it, we're not going to do any trade'".

Trump added that "People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you. And all of a sudden they (India and Pakistan) said, "I think we're going to stop".

"And they have, and they did it for a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one. We're going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan. We're going to do a lot of trade with India. We're negotiating with India right now. We're going to be soon negotiating with Pakistan, and we stopped a nuclear conflict," Trump said.

The decision by India and Pakistan to halt military hostilities was first made public by Trump in a social media post while claiming that the talks between the two sides were mediated by the US.

The Congress also questioned the BJP-led government at the Centre on the "sudden" announcement of a ceasefire as claimed to be mediated by United States (US) President Donald Trump, and asked the ruling dispensation to issue a clarification before the nation in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot while referring to Trump's statements in connection with the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, said, "The way Donald Trump is intervening and making statements (on ceasefire between India and Pakistan), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should clarify before the nation on the statements being made by him."

The Congress stalwart also posed questions to the ruling BJP over the matter. "Now, Trump is coming into the picture. Whether he is coming with government consent or by himself, we don't know. Why are we silent? Is there any pressure?," Gehlot asked.

Referring to the US, he said, "America had exterted pressure on India earlier also. But, we never bowed down and divided Pakistan into parts. Even during the Simla Agreement we did not let any other country come between us."

Referring to Prime Minister's address to nation on Monday in the wake of the ceasefire between both nations, Gehlot said, ''Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation. But, he disappointed again. He said that 'Operation Sindoor' has been temporarily suspended. I have never heard of a ceasefire being temporary."

"The country is not able to understand the sudden ceasefire. Was 'Operation Sindoor' postponed under US pressure? These things should be clarified. Our, armed forces did a great job. They targeted terrorist hideouts which was praised all over the world," he said. Gehlot said the entire Opposition is with the government in taking action against terrorism.

Mentioning Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Gehlot said, "People of the country were deeply saddened by the Pahalgam terror attack. In the wake of such a situation, our armed forces launched an attack on terror hideouts. We salute them." He reiterated the Congress' demand for a special session of Parliament on this matter for an in-depth discussion.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said every statement made by Donald Trump raises new questions. In a post on X, Chidambaram said, "President Trump has spoken again, this time about 'trade' and 'cease fire'. Trade talks, whenever they happen, will be between India and United States. Ceasefire, recently agreed upon, is between India and Pakistan. Where is the connection? Why did President Trump connect them? Every tweet or statement made by President Trump raises new questions: who will answer them?" (with PTI inputs)