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New Delhi/Nagpur: Without giving any explanation, the Defense Ministry has decided to cancel the briefing that top brass of the Ministry were to give today, 14th October, to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense on the surgical strikes carried out by Indian special forces in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Amid speculation that the Defense Ministry had expressed reservations on sharing details of the strikes with lawmakers, parliamentary sources said the panel was unlikely to push for seeking details beyond what is already in public domain. The Army has already gone on record about the strikes across LoC. But even this has been cancelled after being postponed initially from October 6th to 14th.
The committee was to meet on 6th but the meeting had been postponed to October 14. The agenda, however had remains unaltered, till today.
There already were speculations that this would happen. A senior Congress leader, who is also part of the committee, had said he would not like to speculate on suggestions that the ministry is not ready to share details. “Like media, we cannot speculate. The meeting on the subject is on October 14,” he had said.
The meeting was to be held against the backdrop of demands that the government should present proof about the cross-LOC raids to counter the smear campaign by Pakistan.
The demand has triggered a raging debate on whether the proof should be provided or not.
Now that the briefing has indeed been cancelled without giving any reasons, the entire Congress, including President Sonia Gandhi have expressed anger and displeasure at the Government move.
“Our M.P.s are people’s representatives and responsible Parliamentarians. This move shows that the Government does not have confidence in other politicians and is authoritarian” said a Congress spokesperson speaking to the electronic media.
Swamy, also member of the committee, says though that government has full powers to take any decisions in the interest of the country.
