NEW DELHI: As the fog surrounding Operation Sindoor begins to lift, the Congress on Saturday launched a direct attack on the Modi government, demanding clarity on the terms of the ceasefire with Pakistan following India’s retaliatory strikes for the Pahalgam terror attack. Senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Khera accused the government of “misleading the nation” and questioned whether it had demanded the extradition of most-wanted terrorists from Islamabad.What were the conditions of peace with Pakistan?At a press conference in Delhi, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera raised sharp questions: “When will the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack be caught? Who procured the RDX for Pulwama? Under what pressure was the ceasefire with Pakistan finalised?”Khera asked if India had used the moment to demand the extradition of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, and Dawood Ibrahim. “We want strong answers to strong questions,” he said, adding, “Was justice served to the women who lost their husbands in Pahalgam?”India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the attack in Pahalgam. The strikes were followed by Pakistani retaliation, which was successfully repelled by India, including airbase assaults.Kharge: ‘Trump’s claim contradicts Shimla Agreement’Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge added weight to the criticism, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using the military operation for electoral gain. Referring to an interview given by India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in Singapore, Kharge said, “Important questions must be asked now that the fog of war is clearing.”He cited the CDS’s remarks acknowledging that Indian Air Force jets were briefly grounded, recalibrated, and then redeployed within two days. “We salute their courage. But a strategic review is urgently needed,” Kharge said.He reiterated Congress’s demand for a comprehensive review of India’s defence preparedness by an independent expert committee, similar to the post-Kargil assessment.Kharge also flagged former US President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that he helped broker the ceasefire. “This is a direct affront to the Shimla Agreement. Instead of clarifying Trump’s claims, PM Modi is on a campaign spree, taking credit for the bravery of our armed forces while remaining silent on the terms of the ceasefire.”Congress demands special Parliament sessionCalling the matter too serious to ignore, Kharge demanded that the government immediately convene a special session of Parliament to discuss Operation Sindoor and its aftermath.“Are India and Pakistan being hyphenated again? What were the real terms behind the ceasefire announced by our Foreign Secretary on the 10th, just hours after Trump’s tweet?” he asked.“140 crore patriotic Indians deserve to know this,” Kharge concluded.
