FS Vikram Misri to brief parliamentary panel on India-Pakistan situation on May 19

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on May 19 regarding the recent escalation and de-escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan, reported PTI.

Committee chairman and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor confirmed that Misri will present a detailed update to the panel on the developments that followed Operation Sindoor—India’s large-scale military response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national.

Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor saw coordinated air, land, and sea strikes by Indian forces, targeting multiple terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). The strikes eliminated over 100 terrorists and damaged 11 Pakistani air bases, with the operation carried out under a doctrine of calibrated restraint to minimise civilian casualties.

In the days following the strikes, both sides were engaged in intense conflict. However, efforts to restore calm culminated on Saturday, when the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan established contact and reached a mutual understanding to cease all military actions across land, air, and sea from 5pm onwards.

Foreign Secretary Misri, during a special media briefing, said that instructions had been issued to all commands to enforce the ceasefire. Yet, the truce appeared fragile: mere hours after the agreement, Pakistani drones were reportedly intercepted by Indian air defences amid a power blackout in Srinagar, prompting concern over the violation of hostilities cessation.

India has taken “very serious note” of these developments, Misri had stated, adding that Pakistan must act responsibly and ensure adherence to the ceasefire terms.

Misri has frequently updated the parliamentary committee on key foreign policy matters, including developments in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and ongoing tensions with Canada. This upcoming briefing, however, is expected to be one of the most closely watched, given the gravity of the recent cross-border military engagement.