Sharad Pawar suggests all-party meet instead of special Parliament session amid growing opposition demand

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 12 (ANI): Amid growing opposition demands for a special session of Parliament over Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday stated that while he is not opposed to the idea, sensitive and serious matters of national interest should not be debated publicly in Parliament.
Several opposition leaders have urged the Centre to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam Terror Attack, Operation Sindoor and the announcement of cessation of hostilities first from Washington DC and later by the Governments of India and Pakistan.
Pawar suggested that instead of convening a special session, it would be more productive for all political parties to convene an all-party meeting to deliberate on the matter privately.
Speaking to ANI, Sharad Pawar said, "I am not against calling a special session of Parliament...but this is a sensitive and serious issue and discussing such a serious issue is not possible in the Parliament...In such a situation, it is necessary to keep the information confidential for national interest."
"Instead of calling a special session, it would be better if we all sit together (all-party meeting)," Pawar said.
The NCP-SCP Chief also reacted to US President Donald Trump's claims that the US had mediated between India and Pakistan.
"Till now, we have never allowed any third party to interfere in our domestic issues. But this is the first time US President Donald Trump has said something regarding our internal matters," he said.
Trump, on May 11, offered mediation between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue by sharing a post on his Truth Social handle.
President Trump welcomed the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, saying that millions of people could have died if the peace had not been worked out. The US President was referring to a potential nuclear fallout between the two nations.
Trump continued to hold on to the claim that the US had helped broker peace and offered to mediate for a solution on Kashmir.
India has time and again rejected any third-party intervention on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and has unequivocally expressed that the region is an integral part of India.
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a special session of the Parliament.
Rahul Gandhi reiterated the Opposition's "unanimous request" to convene a special session of Parliament "immediately."
"It is crucial for the people and their representatives to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and the ceasefire, first announced by US President Trump. This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead. I trust that you will consider this demand seriously and swiftly," Rahul Gandhi said.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 to strike multiple terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in retaliation for a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. (ANI)