NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MAY 19
The military confrontation between India and Pakistan was always in the conventional domain, and there was no nuclear signalling by Islamabad, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary panel on Monday.
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP and chairperson of the Committee chaired a meeting of the Committee on External Affairs, today. Foreign Secretary briefed the Committee on Current Foreign Policy Developments regarding India and Pakistan. @ShashiTharoor@MEAIndia #LokSabha pic.twitter.com/M94JQSqjqP
— LOK SABHA (@LokSabhaSectt) May 19, 2025
The Standing Committee on External Affairs met at the Parliament House Annexe where Misri appraised the members of the security situations after the Operation Sindoor and the measures being taken by the government.
- The foreign secretary reiterated the government’s stand that the decision for ceasefire was taken at a bilateral level
- EAM Jaishankar to visit Netherlands, Denmark and Germany
- Shashi Tharoor-led delegation to visit US, Panama, Colombia and Brazil
- Seven delegations are scheduled to visit 32 countries, including the European Union headquarters in Belgium
The meeting, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was attended by TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, the Congress’ Rajeev Shukla and Deepender Hooda, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and the BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi and Arun Govil.
According to reports, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the government’s stand that the decision for ceasefire was taken at a bilateral level. His assertions came after some opposition members pointed out US President’s Donald Trump’s claims on his role in bringing a ceasefire between the two countries.
Misri skirted questions on whether any Indian fighter jets have been shot down, citing national security constraints. Asked if Pakistan had used Chinese platforms in the conflict, he said it did not matter as India hammered Pakistani air bases.
To a question on Turkiye’s backing to Pakistan during the military conflict, Misri said the country had traditionally not been a supporter of India. There were reports that many of the drones fired by Pakistan were Turkish-made.
The committee unanimously condemned the social media trolls on Misri following the ceasefire and praised his professional conduct.
Seven delegations scheduled to visit 32 countries
Having won in the Operation Sindoor against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Centre on Saturday released the list of seven all-party delegations that will soon travel to key partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council and the European Union, to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
The seven delegations comprise 59 members, including 31 political leaders from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 20 politicians from other parties. They will be assisted by former diplomats.
These delegations will be led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Baijayant Jay Panda and Ravi Shankar Prasad; Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha; Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde; Congress’s Shashi Tharoor; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi; and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule.
EAM Jaishankar to visit Netherlands, Denmark and Germany
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will embark on his three-nation tour on Monday, during which he is expected to highlight India’s fight against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism.
In the six-day trip from May 19 to 24, Jaishankar will visit the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
“During the visit, EAM will meet the leadership of the three countries and hold discussions with his counterparts on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and global matters of mutual interest,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
The minister is also expected to brief his counterparts in these countries about India’s decision to Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
The three countries had expressed solidarity to India after the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were shot to death by terrorists in the scenic valley of Kashmir on April 22.
Shashi Tharoor-led delegation to visit US, Panama, Colombia and Brazil
An all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will begin its multi-nation tour on May 24 to showcase India’s fight against cross-border terrorism in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
The team will visit Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the United States.
Tharooor said the delegation’s visit to the US is scheduled at the final stage, after the Memorial Day weekend, to ensure optimal engagement with the Congress.
“Our delegation is leaving a bit later because the US has a big Memorial Day weekend, and Congress in the US is not in session until June 2. So, there is no point in arriving there too early,” he said.
