‘How many countries backed India', asks TMC MP part of Operation Sindoor global diplomatic outreach
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who was part of the Indian delegations that had visited 33 countries in recent weeks to convey India's stand on terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, on Monday, questioned the diplomatic success of the outreach.
The Trinamool Congress National General Secretary asked how many countries extended explicit support to India after the outreach.
Banerjee said that Indian citizens deserve transparency and accountability on the government's response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which left 26 dead.
He asked 'How did four terrorists manage to infiltrate the border and launch an attack that killed 26 innocent civilians? Where is the accountability for this massive breach in national security?'
He also questioned whether the four terrorists responsible for the 'brutal, religion-based massacre' had been brought to justice.
Banerjee asked whether the attack was the result of an intelligence failure, and questioned the one-year extension granted to Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka barely a month after the attack.
'Why was he rewarded rather than held accountable?' the Trinamool Congress general secretary asked. 'What is the compulsion?'
He also raised questions about United States President Donald Trump's claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
On Monday, the party's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien reiterated that it had been 55 days since the terror attack and demanded answers to the questions Banerjee had posed to the Centre earlier in the day.
On Tuesday, the party highlighted that it had been 24 hours since Banerjee first demanded answers.
'The nation still waits,' the party said. 'The silence is deafening.'
It's been 24 hours since Shri @abhishekaitc asked 5 crucial questions that demand answers.
The nation still waits. The silence is deafening. #5Sawal pic.twitter.com/X2G42X3RDC
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) June 17, 2025
Banerjee's questions came less than a week after Prime Minister Modi hosted members of Indian delegations – comprising former diplomats and MPs – who had visited 33 countries in recent weeks to convey India's stand on cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.
Banerjee was not initially among the delegation members announced by the government, which had picked Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan to represent the party. After criticising the Union government for unilaterally deciding who would represent the Trinamool Congress, party chief Mamata Banerjee withdrew Pathan's name and sent Banerjee instead.
The diplomatic outreach by New Delhi came in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Indian military strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what New Delhi claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.
On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict.
New Delhi's announcement on the decision to stop military action came minutes after Trump claimed on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to the ceasefire.
However, India has said that the decision to stop firing was taken bilaterally and that there was no intervention by the US. New Delhi has also maintained that ' the issue of trade did not come up ' in any discussion between Indian and US leaders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
How Kashmir's aspiring doctors demand rescue from an alien war
As missiles fly overhead and smoke billows from the ruins all around, all that Moin Mushtaq, a third-year MBBS student at the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences holed up with six colleagues in a deserted dormitory, can see through the smashed windows are scenes of agony and devastation caused by the Israel-Iran conflict. 'This is hell, literally, with power outages and the internet going down,' the 22-year-old medical student from north Kashmir's Kupwara says on the phone late in the night on June 16, trying to speak over the noise of a missile attack on Iran's Ahvaz city. 'We're the only ones left behind. The locals and students from UAE and Pakistan have been evacuated.'Iran caters to a modest chunk of Kashmiri students—around 1,500 by unofficial estimates—mainly because the Valley's significant Shia population finds a cultural resonance of sorts in the Shiite-dominated Islamic Republic and students seeking an overseas education find its offerings affordable, especially in medicine, often with attractive scholarships. Now, with the Iran-Israel conflict spiralling into a full-blown war, Mushtaq's doctor dreams are teetering on the brink as he desperately seeks evacuation to India. 'We've been weeping and calling the Indian embassy for help but they only tell us to wait or travel 1,500 kilometres on our own to safety. How can we cover such a distance with the missiles, shells and drones over our heads?' he are four Kashmiri female students in the nearby girl's dormitory. Their internet is down; there is no electricity and the only line of communication is the phone—also in its last gasp as the recharging facilities are in ruins. Students in Ahvaz say the attacks are now directed at the city as it is the hub of oil-refineries and Iran's energy centre. 'We're counting our days, and each one feels like a year as we stare at our phones for help to come our way,' says another student in university, students say, is now making them sign an undertaking that they are staying in the dormitory even after all the academic activities have been shut. According to the declaration, a copy of which is with India Today, the students' decision to stay back is their own and the university is not accountable for Capital city Tehran has been the worst-hit due to Israeli missiles so far. Two Kashmiri students ended up with injuries to their arms and legs and scratches on their faces after a shell landed in the street beside the Hujjat Dost dormitory of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences on the evening of June the nearly 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran, in 2022 there were around 2,050 students, mostly in the medical domain, according to Ministry of External Affairs data. Since June 16, the Indian government has set the evacuation process in motion, prioritising the relocation of students from Tehran to the Qom and Ramsar cities 150-250 kilometres away. In Qom, over 600 students have been assembled in big halls with no connection to their families as the internet is unavailable.'We don't want to be huddled like this here while fearing for our lives,' says a 21-year-old medical student. 'No place is safe here. Our parents are worried and we just want to be home. The government should arrange special flights for us like it did during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.'Not everyone, though, can afford to return home. Many students, nearing the completion of their degrees, are desperately praying for a ceasefire to prevent their careers from plunging into uncertainty. 'I'm in my last year of MBBS and a ceasefire could save my career,' says Aayat, a third-year MBBS student at the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, who was relocated to Qomb on the evening of June 16. 'Otherwise, no one knows what the future holds.'advertisementThe considerable number of Indian citizens, especially students, are keeping India's evacuation efforts racing against time as Iran and Israel pummel each other with missiles and drones in a major conflict that shows no signs of ebbing. Back home in Kashmir, the panicking parents are requesting the government to facilitate their children's return. 'Please evacuate our children. They've been getting panic attacks,' says a weeping Rehana, whose daughter studies medicine at the Shahid Beheshti University. 'They're having sleepless nights and we here lie helpless and in distress.'On June 16, a group of parents held a demonstration at Srinagar's Pratap Park, opposite the Press Enclave, seeking speedy evacuation of their children from Iran. In a statement on June 17, the Ministry of External Affairs said the Indian students have been moved out from Tehran, while advising other Indian citizens in the capital city to move out in view of the 'developing situation'. Some Indians, it said, have been facilitated in leaving Iran through the Armenian border from where, say sources, a direct flight to India will be to Armenia via the border route are 110 students, including 90 Kashmiris,' says Nasir Kheuhami, national convenor of the Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA). 'We're in touch with all the stranded students on WhatsApp groups.'' On June 16, the JKSA wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing for 'urgent intervention and evacuation' of students in the wake of a 'humanitarian emergency'.While the Union ministry has set up a round-the-clock control room for the Indian citizens in Iran, the J&K government has also set up one in Srinagar. Chief minister Omar Abdullah has spoken to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar for the 'welfare and safety of Kashmiri students' in Iran. 'The Hon Minister assured me that @MEAIndia is in close contact with their counterparts in Iran & will take all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran,' Abdullah said on X on the evening of June relocation efforts, since the morning of June 17, have been heightened by the Indian Embassy in Iran but there are still many, especially in high-risk areas in the outlier cities, awaiting help. Questions also loom over the government's evacuation plans for its citizens in the conflict-torn had stocked some eggs, potatoes and lentils that will last two more days,' says Mushtaq, stranded with his six colleagues in the dormitory. 'We have nothing to survive on thereafter.' Subscribe to India Today Magazine
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
As missiles criss-cross Iran, traumatised Indian students appeal for evacuation
As Israel and Iran continued to trade missiles for the fifth consecutive day, traumatised Indian students stranded in Iran's Kermanshah were waiting anxiously to be evacuated by the embassy. What has given them hope amid the intense hostilities is the evacuation of 110 Indian students from Tehran to Armenia, from where they will be flown to the Iran coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, told India Today that the situation in Kermanshah was critical, with airstrikes by Israel flattening a nearby hospital and another attack on a hostel injuring two Kashmiri students. advertisement"A hospital in Kermanshah was attacked, and there was also an incident at a hostel where two Kashmiri students were injured. This shows how dangerous things have become. Indian students are extremely traumatised," Faizan told India MOVED TO QOM The sound of missiles criss-crossing overhead and trails of smoke only add to the fear. Around 1,000-1,500 Indian students are believed to be in Iran, a preferred destination by some to study medicine.A student of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Faizan said support groups were created for Indian students across Iran as soon as the conflict Monday, Indian students in Tehran, spread across three universities, were moved via buses to Qom - a religious city deemed relatively safer than the capital. Faizan said around 10 to 20 students were still in Tehran, and they would be relocated by the end of the challenges, Faizan acknowledged the Indian embassy's constant communication and support since the crisis, which began on June 13 when Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion', targeting Iran's nuclear sites. Iran has claimed the airstrikes have left over 225 people dead, mostly civilians."The Indian embassy has been facilitating everything - from transport and shelter to food," he student requested the Indian embassy to evacuate them at the earliest, saying the most feasible route would be through the Afghanistan border."We are all very anxious. The most feasible route for evacuation from here would be through the Afghanistan border, which is the closest. We sincerely hope the Indian embassy facilitates our evacuation at the earliest," he appealed. 'MOVED FROM HIGH-RISK AREA TO LOW-RISK ONE'In Qom, around 150 km from Tehran, the situation is comparatively safer. Enam Ishfaq, a third-year MBBS student who was relocated to Qom, said missile sounds could be heard here too now and then, and sought evacuation."We can hear missile sounds from here. Internet services are down here. We can't contact our families. We want the embassy to evacuate us by road as the airspace is closed," he Indian student of Shahid Beheshti University said moving students from a high-risk area to a low-risk area was not the need proper evacuation. Our families are very stressed. We came here to build our future, but now we have to pack our bags to go home," he Tuesday, the first batch of 110 Indian nationals, including 90 Kashmiri students of Urmia Medical University, safely crossed into Armenia and were taken to the capital city, Yerevan. Their flight from Armenia to Delhi is scheduled for Watch
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
Why an Ukraine-style evacuation of Indians is not possible in Iran
When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022, India swiftly launched 'Operation Ganga' to evacuate thousands of its citizens, mostly students, from the conflict zone. But as tensions escalate in West Asia, a similar large-scale evacuation from Iran may not be as geography and airspace restrictions to diplomatic sensitivities and the nature of the threat, multiple factors make an "Iran operation" far more complex and challenging. advertisementSIZE OF THE OPERATIONThere are about 10,000 Indians in Iran. Of which, there are approximately 1,500-2,000 students and 6,000 people who have been living and working there. Besides this, there are a number of Indian sailors and those associated with shipping-related operations. On the other hand, around 22,500 Indian nationals returned from Ukraine to India between February and March 2022. Due to security concerns and logistical constraints, the government has not given the evacuation from Iran any name as it did in the case of 'Operation Ganga' from Ukraine. As many as 90 evacuation flights were operated under Operation Ganga, including 14 Indian Air Force flights from the neighbouring operation was relatively smooth because Indian evacuation flights operated without any hindrance from multiple locations such as Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and NEIGHBOURHOODadvertisementIn the case of Iran, geopolitics is in the way of the operation. Though the number of Indians willing to return is relatively small, the available evacuation routes and options are via eastern neighbours of Iran like Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a logistical challenge but also geopolitically difficult. On one hand, the Pakistani airspace is shut for India. Land route evacuation is also out of the India-Afghanistan relations have improved over the past few months, the logistical challenge remains. Air evacuation is not possible because the flights will have to cross Pakistani airspace, which is out of bounds. People arrive with their luggage before the departure of buses slated to evacuate foreign passport holders, mainly European and Polish, out of Israel (AFP) THE EASTERN AND WESTERN FLANKSDuring the initial days of the Russia-Ukraine war, thousands of people, including Indians, could leave Ukraine as the western borders were largely open and were not on Russian fighting was mainly concentrated in the eastern territories such as Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv. However, in the case of Iran, the aerial attacks carried out by the Israeli Air Force are widespread and not concentrated to specific REMAINS AN ISSUEadvertisementThe road and rail connectivity in Ukraine largely remain operational even during the ongoing conflict. So, it was easier for people to get to safer locations and land border crossings like Lviv (Poland border) and Chernivtsi (Hungarian border). But, in the case of Iran, road and rail connectivity remains TEHRAN PITCHThe Indian embassy in Tehran has asked Indians residing in the capital city to leave. Indian nationals have been advised to move to safe locations outside the city using their own evacuation process has already begun. The first batch of around 110 people, mostly students, has crossed over to Armenia. Around 600-700 people have been moved to the safer city of Qom in central is an important religious site having various mosques and seminaries, including the famous Azam mosque. There are other cities such as Arak, Khorammabad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Kermanshah, which remain out of bound because of nuclear and military ARMENIA?The Iranian airspace remains shut due to the ongoing conflict. Therefore, the land route becomes the only available option for those who want to leave situation is quite similar to what happened in Ukraine, whose airspace remains closed till date. During 'Operation Ganga', Indians were evacuated via land route to countries like Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and Poland. The maximum evacuation happened via Poland because of better connectivity and good relations with India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did thank Poland for their help during his visit last shares land borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The last two are the least preferred options because of logistic challenges and bilateral relations. In any case, Pakistan's airspace is closed for Indian flights after Operation the recent conflict, Azerbaijan openly supported Pakistan, due to which it becomes an undesirable still remains an option as the capital city of Ashgabat is close to Iran. The next batch of Indians may likely take the Turkmenistan route to get out of geostrategic compatibility between Armenia and India makes the former a preferred Watch
