Pathankot: Commending the bravery and resolve of India's defence forces in decisively countering Pakistan's aggression during Operation Sindoor, Congress leaders on Friday voiced strong reservations over US President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire.At the same time, they claimed that the party extended full support for the govt's efforts to address the volatile situation in the aftermath of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives.The Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel, were speaking on the occasion of the ‘Jai Hind' rally held here on Friday to express solidarity with the defence forces of the country.Expressing strong objection to US President Donald Trump announcing the ceasefire, Baghel claimed that the Congress has always kept the nation above everything while maintaining that the party extended full support to the govt in dealing with the situation in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.The former chief minister of Chhattisgarh regretted that the entire country was allegedly disappointed over the way the ceasefire was announced in a third country.

At the same time, he recalled how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stood her ground against President Richard Nixon in 1971 and refused to withdraw even after he deployed the Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal. "Even then, Indira Gandhi broke Pakistan into two pieces," he pointed out.The Congress leader, however, said certain questions need answers, like where did the four terrorists, who killed 26 people in Pahalgam vanish, and how was the huge quantity of RDX brought to Pulwama in 2019.Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said India was a peace-loving country and the terrorist attack in Pahalgam forced the country to retaliate. "But the way the ceasefire was announced by a third country, everyone across India felt sad and disappointed that when Pakistan was brought to its knees, what was the hurry to go for the ceasefire," said Warring.The PPCC chief reiterated the party's stand, asking the govt at whose behest the ceasefire was done, why the external affairs minister told Pakistan at the start of the operation that India was striking at terrorist bases, which provided them a chance to move to safer places, and how much losses India suffered.All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Aruna Chaudhary, Naresh Puri, Ravinder Dalvi, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Amit Vij were also present.MSID:: 121519008 413 |