'No US Mediation, India Did Not Inform Pakistan Before Strikes': What Foreign Secretary Told Parliamentary Committee

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the Shashi Tharoor-led Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Monday (19 May) about the recent military standoff between India and Pakistan.

Here are the key things he said, as reported by Indian Express:

1. Warfare mode: Misri informed that the conflict remained within the scope of conventional warfare, with no nuclear messaging from Islamabad.

Questions were also posed about Pakistan’s alleged use of Chinese platforms during the conflict. Misri reportedly responded that such details were inconsequential given India’s direct action against Pakistani air bases.

2. Ceasefire: Misri emphasiwed that the decision to halt hostilities was a result of bilateral engagement and not due to any external mediation, particularly from the United States.

This statement refutes earlier claims by US President Donald Trump, who said that the ceasefire was achieved following intense overnight negotiations facilitated by Washington.

Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress party, have repeatedly questioned Trump’s assertion that the US brokered the truce.

Notably, Congress, especially the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been demanding Jaishankar's response on why Pakistan was allegedly informed earlier and questioning how many fighter jets India lost.

The Ministry of External Affairs has since described Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Jaishankar’s remarks as a “misrepresentation of facts.”

4. Other issues: During the session, one Opposition MP inquired about the status of the perpetrators behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, and the efforts underway to apprehend them.

Another sought details on diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan globally and strategies to pressure the US into advocating for Pakistan’s re-listing on the FATF grey list.

Additional concerns were raised over India’s diplomatic posture, with one member questioning whether India was appearing isolated on the global stage and how it intends to assert its position as a victim of terrorism rather than being portrayed on par with Pakistan.

Among the attendees were Congress MPs Rajeev Shukla and Deepender Hooda, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, journalist-turned-politician Sagarika Ghose, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, and BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Arun Govil.