Foreign Secy Vikram Misri To Brief Parliamentary Panel Today On India-Pak Conflict, Op Sindoor

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is set to brief the Shashi Tharoor-led Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs today, May 19, regarding the recent India-Pakistan military conflict that followed the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

The multi-party panel has summoned Misri to provide insights on "current foreign policy developments concerning India and Pakistan."

Photo Credit: PTI

The meeting is scheduled for 4 PM.

This comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian armed forces to avenge the Pahalgam terror incident and the subsequent military escalation between the two nations. Both sides agreed to halt military operations on May 10.

This marks the first instance of a senior government official appearing before the committee to formally brief Parliament on developments following the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, predominantly tourists.

On May 7, India conducted strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Following these events, Misri, along with Colonel Soya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, addressed the media.

The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, who has been praised for his diplomatic outreach, faced online criticism after announcing the ceasefire on 10 May.

Besides Committee Chair Shashi Tharoor, the 31-member panel includes prominent MPs such as Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sudhanshu Trivedi (BJP), Deepender Hooda (Congress), Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), and John Brittas (CPI-M).

Parliamentarians are expected to question Misri about the government's diplomatic efforts post-Pahalgam attack.

Interestingly, US President Donald Trump has claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire, citing his role in mediation and leveraging trade to bring both countries to the negotiating table.

Misri is also expected to inform the committee about India's plans to dispatch seven delegations to 32 countries and the European Union over the next three weeks.

These missions aim to highlight Pakistan's alleged support for cross-border terrorism and explain the rationale behind India's military response.

(With PTI inputs)