India-Pak ceasefire: Congress seeks all-party meet chaired by PM, special session of Parliament

With India and Pakistan agreeing to an immediate ceasefire, there is now a need more than ever before for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chair an all-party meeting and take political parties into confidence, the Congress said on Saturday.

The opposition party also demanded that the government call a special session of Parliament to discuss the events of the past 18 days.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, "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."

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, he said.

The directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan have agreed to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has announced.

The brief announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after talks mediated by the US.

The US-brokered ceasefire came hours after the militaries of India and Pakistan attacked each other's facilities, dangerously escalating the standoff.

Trump's announcement had come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir.

Rubio also made a similar statement on X.