Has the govt accepted US mediation on Kashmir, asks Cong; alleges US trying to hyphenate India, Pak

New Delhi | The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from the government on whether it has accepted third-party mediation on Kashmir after the US made announcements on behalf of India and Pakistan, and slammed attempts to "internationalise" the issue and "hyphenate" the two countries.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot said the US move to announce a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan is "unprecedented" and raises several questions.

He said the government must accept the opposition's demand for another all-party meeting chaired by the prime minister and a special session of Parliament to discuss these issues in the current circumstances.

Noting that events have changed swiftly in the last 24 hours, he said, "We were all surprised after the announcement of ceasefire was made by the US President through social media."

"An attempt was made to internationalise the issues between India and Pakistan. This is for the first time this has happened," he said, asserting that the government must clarify while taking the nation and all parties into confidence.

"What I am saying is that the fact that the US unilaterally announces a ceasefire between two countries so far away. It is unprecedented, has not happened before and they have tried to engulf the discussion to involve Kashmir, which again is unprecedented.

"To say that they will meet at a neutral site, who are they to decide what the neutral site is and who should meet," he said, referring to the US statements.

On Sunday, government sources asserted that India will never accept mediation in the Kashmir issue and the only matter to discuss is Pakistan returning the territory which is under its illegal occupation.

Pilot said PoK is part of India and we have resolved in 1994 to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"Has there been a change in that stand? What are the conditions, what are the circumstances, what are the issues on which they will talk and who is a third country to dictate to India- where and when we should meet and how we should meet, that is a question that needs to be answered," he said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect.

"On what conditions the ceasefire has been declared and what is the guarantee that such things would not be repeated, as there is no credibility left after yesterday's events (violations). How can we believe them, and what is the guarantee that such developments will not happen again?" Pilot asked.

The Congress leader said one must also pay heed to what US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media posts, where he made statements on Kashmir, on which the government should spell out its side. "Kashmir is a bilateral issue, and the attempt to internationalise it, I feel, is not proper.

"A special session be convened and the 1994 resolution be adopted again, and it may be made clear that no third party involvement will be accepted.

"It should be stated clearly that no third-party involvement will be accepted. It is a bilateral issue and it is India's and Pakistan's issue, and no country, including America, should have a space to intervene in a bilateral issue," he asserted, adding that India's stated foreign policy was very clear where there was no scope for mediation.

Pilot said that the Government of India received unprecedented support from all parties and people in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

He also asserted that the valour, bravery and professionalism of the Indian armed forces is second to none.

"I appeal that the government should convene an all-party meeting immediately. We are all proud of what our soldiers and our armed forces action what they have done to teach Pakistan a lesson. We are proud of the actions taken by our armed forces," he said.

Several questions have arisen after the US announcements made on social media, he said and noted that the US had said two days ago "it is none of our business" but then the US Secretary of State, President and Vice President declared a "ceasefire" and later India and Pakistan also made an announcement of ending military action.

"Has the government accepted this mediation. Under what conditions has the government accepted? This raises questions," he said while referring to Kashmir's mention in the US statement and the Secretary of State saying that talks will happen at a 'neutral site'.

"The American president wrongly said that they have been fighting for thousands of years, forgetting that the two were one country a few years ago.

"This is an attempt again to hyphenate India and Pakistan and an IMF bailout like this. If a ceasefire is declared from Washington like this, it raises several questions," Pilot said, adding that all governments in the last 20-25 years have worked to de-hyphenate India and Pakistan.

"They are trying to bring us back to a hyphenated state, which I don't think is a positive development," he noted.

He also said that one must take note of the remarks made by former chiefs of the Indian Army.

Pilot said the violations after the ceasefire declaration have also raised several questions and doubts on their credibility regarding whether there would be a repeat of such attacks from across the border.

"I feel we should convene an all-party meeting and... the prime minister should attend that meeting.. The prime minister should take the entire nation and all political parties into confidence on the developments," Pilot said.

Recalling that during the 1971 war, America had said that they were deploying their 7th fleet in the Bay of Bengal, he said the then government led by Indira Gandhi went ahead and did what was in the supreme national interest. "We remember that government when national interest was supreme."

CPI expresses concern over US role in India-Pakistan agreement to stop military actions

New Delhi | The CPI on Sunday expressed serious concern over reported US involvement in facilitating an agreement between India and Pakistan to end military actions, even as the Left party welcomed the understanding.

The CPI demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain what role the US played and how the American president announced the agreement before the Indian government.

It also sought a special session of Parliament as soon as possible for comprehensive and transparent discussions on the issue.

In a statement on Sunday, the Left party welcomed the agreement and called it a "positive and necessary step towards preventing a full-scale war and safeguarding peace in the region".

"This development offers much-needed relief to the people living along the Line of Control (LoC), who have long borne the brunt of cross-border hostilities," the CPI said.

"While the CPI supports any initiative that halts bloodshed and opens avenues for peace, we express serious concern over the reported involvement of the US in facilitating this ceasefire. The willingness of both the Indian and the Pakistani governments to allow an external imperialist power -- especially the US -- a nation historically responsible for igniting global conflicts, to mediate what should have been a bilateral issue is deeply troubling," it said.

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

In a short announcement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri 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 President Donald Trump in a social media post while claiming that the talks between the two sides were mediated by the US.

The CPI said there was ample opportunity and political space for India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through direct dialogue.

"By agreeing to the US initiative in this process, the Indian government has effectively violated the essence of the Simla Agreement and provided a scope to internationalise the Kashmir issue," it said.

"This opens the door for the US to play its typical hegemonic and destabilising role in south Asia, further entrenching itself in the subcontinent's internal matters," it added.

The CPI called on both India and Pakistan to commit sincerely to the understanding in letter and spirit.

"At the same time, we urge the leaderships of both countries to safeguard regional autonomy by rejecting imperialist interference and resuming a bilateral political process based on mutual trust, respect and people's aspirations," it said.