India plans diplomatic push on Pakistan terrorism, Congress confirms participation

Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan following recent terror incidents, the Indian government is preparing to dispatch multi-party parliamentary delegations to various countries to present its position on terrorism emanating from across the border.

The Congress party has confirmed it will participate in these diplomatic outreach efforts.

Although the government has not officially announced the delegations, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh told PTI that Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had reached out to the Congress president regarding the initiative.

Ramesh, however, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he described as a lack of domestic unity-building efforts. “The Prime Minister declined to convene all-party meetings on the Pahalgam terror attacks and Operation Sindoor. He also ignored the Congress party’s call for a special session of Parliament to demonstrate collective national will, as reaffirmed in the unanimous resolution of February 22, 1994,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Despite political differences and what he described as continued attempts by the ruling party to malign the Congress, Ramesh asserted that the party places national interest above politics. “While the Prime Minister and his party have persistently defamed the Congress even when we have called for unity and solidarity, we will still support this global outreach. The Congress does not politicise national security issues the way the BJP does,” he added.

The diplomatic push comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor — a series of precision strikes carried out by India on May 7 targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were a direct response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.

The upcoming delegations are expected to communicate India’s counter-terrorism stance to key international stakeholders, seeking support and understanding amid escalating regional tensions.