Congress' Surjewala questions govt on gains from 'sudden cessation' of Operation Sindoor

New Delhi, May 12 (PTI) Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Monday questioned the government on its gains from the sudden cessation of Operation Sindoor and asked if Pakistan had agreed to hand over the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack and demolish all terror camps in its territory.

In a series of posts on X, he also asked if India had agreed to hold talks with Pakistan on Kashmir at a neutral venue, going against its existing policy of no third-party intervention.

"Over 24 hours have passed since the US declared a 'ceasefire agreement' between us and Pakistan. The valour, perseverance and determined response of our armed forces in hitting out at terror by Operation Sindoor has made every Indian proud," he said.

"But the political leadership must now answer to the nation," he added.

The strategic, military and political gains and outcomes for India must be spelled out to the nation. The lingering doubts and lurking questions in relation to the sudden halt of Operation Sindoor, just when the Indian Armed Forces had gained a clear upper-hand over Pakistan, leaves much to be answered, he said.

Surjewala said at a time the media "screamed out the clear retreat of Pakistan and terrorists" and how the neighbouring country's "terror network" was going to crumble, "why the sudden halt and compromise by mediation from US President, Mr Donald Trump?" he asked.

"What do we really gain by a ceasefire at this crucial juncture?" he further questioned.

Surjewala also asked why India's leadership should remain silent, especially when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was claiming "false victories".

Posing several questions to the government, the senior Congress leader asked, "What are the strategic, military and political goals achieved by our government? Has the 'ceasefire agreement' been entered into by us with Pakistan on the mediation of the US government? Why is the Modi government, then, not confirming it?" The Congress MP also asked about the conditions under which India had agreed to carry on "talks" with Pakistan as part of the "ceasefire agreement".

"Why has India accepted to carry on 'talks' with Pakistan at a 'neutral site', ie a third country? Is this unilateral step not a clear-cut negation of India's time-tested policy of 'no third-party mediation' and 'no mediation in a third country'?" Surjewala asked.

India and Pakistan reached an agreement to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea on May 10 after four days of cross-border strikes that triggered fears of a wider conflict.

In a short announcement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said the directors general of military operations of the two countries agreed on the understanding during a call.

The decision by India and Pakistan 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.

Surjewala asked why the Modi government was permitting the US government to equate India with Pakistan despite the "fully-established fact" of Pakistan being a "terror state".

Asking if the Modi government was aware that Trump had issued a statement on mediating to solve the Kashmir issue, he asked, "Is the Modi government going to allow third-party mediation in Kashmir in absolute derogation of India's stated policy? If not, why has Prime Minister Modi not controverted the same?" "Whether, as part of the 'ceasefire agreement', Pakistan will now hand over terrorists (who had escaped) responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack and the killing of 26 innocents, including 25 countrymen, so that India can punish them?" the senior Congress leader further questioned.

He asked the government if Pakistan, as part of the agreement, had agreed to demolish all terror camps -- both in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"Whether, as part of the 'ceasefire agreement', Pakistan has agreed to proscribe or ban all the anti-India terrorist groups, including Jaish-e- Muhammad (JeM), Jamaat-ul-Dawa (JuD), Tehreek-e-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir (TAJK), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuA, presently known as HuM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and others" Surjewala said.

The nation is also awaiting many answers on the extent of "intelligence and security failure" that led to "Pakistan-trained terrorists" executing the Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress leader said.

"What kind of internal investigation or inquiry has been conducted into the intelligence and security failures by the government of India or (Union) home ministry after the Pahalgam terror attack? What are its findings? Whether any responsibility has been affixed," he asked.

Surjewala gave a set of 10 suggestions to strengthen India's armed forces, military campaigns and diplomatic initiatives, including doubling the defence budget and increasing the strength of air force squadrons. PTI SKC SKC SZM SZM

Source: PTI