Ahead of visit to J-K, parliamentary panel briefed by MEA officials on developments in China, Pakistan ties with special reference to borders
New Delhi, June 19
Ahead of its visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs was briefed by representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs on India-China relations with special reference to the border and also about the recent developments in India-Pakistan relations.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was present at the pre-departure briefing held on Friday.
Chairperson of the Standing Committee, Shashi Tharoor, said after the meeting that they will also get briefings in Srinagar and Jammu.
"This was a pre-orientation briefing because the committee is going on a tour of J-K and Ladkah - Jammu, Srinagar, Leh and Kagil, and the Foreign Secretary was briefing us on both the Indo-Pakistan issue and Inda-China issues... We are going to the LoC lookout point in Kargil and we will get briefings from the military on the ground there, so we got the MEA briefing here. We will get briefings in Srinagar and Jammu," he said.
The meeting was attended, among others, by BJP MPs Arun Govil, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Sudhanshu Trivedi, as well as AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
The agenda of the meeting was 'Understanding India-China Relations and the way forward with special reference to the Indo-China border' and 'recent developments in India-Pakistan relations with special reference to the India-Pakistan border'.
The committee will be in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from June 22 to 25.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Shashi Tharoor heading this committee is reassuring—he’s articulate and understands foreign policy. But I wish the briefing was more transparent to the public. We need to know what the roadmap is for dealing with China’s aggression and Pakistan’s constant provocations. 🇮🇳
Finally, some coordinated effort between the MEA and Parliament. The situation at the LAC and LoC is too serious for political games. However, I’m skeptical—will this panel actually influence policy or just be another photo-op? Hope the briefing in Kargil gives them real ground realities.
ऐसी ब्रीफिंग्स ज़रूरी हैं, लेकिन हमें सिर्फ़ बातों की नहीं, बल्कि एक्शन की ज़रूरत है। चीन और पाकिस्तान के साथ बॉर्डर पर तनाव कम नहीं हुआ है। उम्मीद है कि यह विज़िट कुछ ठोस नतीजे देगी। (Such briefings are necessary, but we need action, not just words. Tension on borders with China and Pakistan hasn't reduced. Hope this visit yields concrete results.)
Interesting move by the parliamentary committee. As an outsider, I see India handling two complex fronts simultaneously. China’s assertiveness and Pakistan’s unpredictability are big challenges. A briefing by the Foreign Secretary shows how high the stakes are—hope the visit strengthens India’s strategic position.
This is a good step towards parliamentary oversight
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