India-Pak ceasefire: Cong urges PM to call all-party meeting, demands special Parliament session

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting and brief political parties on recent developments, following the announcement of an immediate ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The party also pressed for a special session of Parliament to deliberate on the events of the past 18 days.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, took to X to make the appeal. "In view of the unprecedented announcements from Washington DC, there is now a need, more than ever before, for -- the prime minister to chair an all-party meeting and take political parties into confidence," he said.

He further stated that the current situation calls for a discussion in Parliament. "There is also now a need, more than ever before, for a special session of Parliament to discuss the events of the last 18 days, beginning with the brutal Pahalgam terror attack and the way forward, and to demonstrate a collective resolve," Ramesh said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the directors general of military operations of both nations had agreed to halt all military activity on land, air and sea from 5 pm onwards. The ceasefire announcement was made shortly after US President Donald Trump declared that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire, following US-mediated talks.

The truce comes in the wake of intense military exchanges between the two countries, which had raised fears of further escalation. Trump's statement followed phone conversations between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir. Rubio also echoed the ceasefire development on X.