Opposition calls for special House session after India-Pak ceasefire
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on Saturday to stop all military actions against each other
The opposition on Sunday questioned the “external mediation” in brokering a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, and sought a special session of Parliament which will serve as “an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve”.
The opposition charge was led by the Congress, with both leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seeking discussion on the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the escalation of border conflict in the days that followed.
“I reiterate the unanimous request of the Opposition to convene a special session of Parliament immediately. It is crucial for people and their representatives to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and the ceasefire, first announced by US President Trump. This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead,” Congress leader Gandhi said.
In his letter, Kharge recalled the letters written by him and Rahul Gandhi on April 28, requesting the PM to convene a special session of Parliament in the wake of terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, primarily tourists.
“As leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, I am writing in support of the request [made by Rahul Gandhi]. I trust you will agree,” the Congress chief said.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on Saturday to stop all military actions against each other after four days of intense armed confrontation triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack, and the cessation of hostilities followed efforts by the US and other key powers to address fears of a full-blown shooting war.
The Congress also sought to recall former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s resilience during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and draw parallels between leadership of the two eras.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh quoted Indira’s letter to then US President Nixon in December 1971, while party general secretary KC Venugopal said in a post on X, “’Being a developing country, we have our backbone straight, enough will and resources to fight all atrocities. Times have passed when any nation sitting 3-4 thousand miles away could give orders to Indians” India terribly misses Indira Gandhi ji today!”.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to hit back, with the party’s IT cell in-charge pointed out that “2025 is not 1971.
“In 1971, the local population — what is now Bangladesh — was actively resisting Pakistan, and India had strong support from the ground. That is not the case in 2025. The Pakistani military now exerts an even tighter grip over its population and controls the national narrative with near-total authority. Despite these difficult conditions, India has successfully targeted terror camps and disrupted the lives of those who sponsor terrorism. Unlike in 1971, Pakistan today possesses nuclear weapons. Yet, India remains perhaps the only country to have struck deep and repeatedly within the territory of a nuclear-armed state,” he said in a post on X.
Ironically, Congress MP Shahi Tharoor took a different line than his party, and maintained that there are differences between 2025 and 1971. “We had reached a stage where the escalation was needlessly getting out of control. Peace is necessary for us. The truth is that the circumstances of 1971 are not the circumstances of 2025. There are differences... This was not a war that we intended to continue. We just wanted to teach terrorists a lesson, and that lesson has been taught. I’m sure the government will continue trying to identify and track the specific individuals who did the horrors of Pahalgam,” he said.
The opposition also questioned the announcement of the ceasefire coming from US President Donald Trump before the Union government.
“It is very unexpected that we got to know from the US President that this has happened,” Congress’ media head Pawan Khera said.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, “…Even during the parliament attack, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM and Sonia Gandhi was the LoP, she said that the opposition is with the government... This time as well, the opposition supported the government, but the way the ceasefire was announced by the US was an attempt to internationalise a bilateral issue.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Trump’s interference was “an attack on our sovereignty and it shows weakness of our government”.
“Why hasn’t US President Trump stopped the Israel-Gaza war? It is still going on. President Trump pressured India to stop its action against Pakistan. No other president can interfere in our country’s affairs. This is an attack on our sovereignty and it shows weakness of our government,” he said.
AAP lawmaker Sanjay Singh said, “US President is declaring the ceasefire. Why is the government agreeing?... For 78 years, India has firmly rejected third-party mediation in matters concerning Pakistan—then what business did America have here today?”
