Rahul-Rijiju's pic signals govt, oppn solidarity amid tensions with Pakistan

The high-level meeting, the second since the Pahalgam terror attack, saw participation from key government and opposition leaders

Following an all-party briefing by the Centre on Operation Sindoor, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the opposition will support the government in its efforts to combat cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Gandhi said, " We have extended our full support to the government. As Kharge ji mentioned, they said there are a few things they don't want to discuss.”

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh provided a detailed briefing on Operation Sindoor.

Rijiju also said leaders across party lines displayed a strong sense of responsibility and unity. “All the leaders have shown maturity at a time when we are all working together. Everyone has hailed and congratulated the armed forces for Operation Sindoor, and said that we will support the government and armed forces. We have received a few suggestions as well... The Defence Minister said we don't form the government just to rule..."

According to PTI, government sources said Singh told the leaders that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor.

The Indian armed forces on early Wednesday carried out 24 precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), including Muridke and Bahawalpur - strongholds of terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), respectively.

More than 70 terrorists were killed and over 60 wounded in the strikes, according to reports. It was India’s response to the Pahalgam attack that took place on April 22 and claimed 26 lives.

The high-level meeting, the second since the Pahalgam terror attack, saw participation from key government figures including defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, external affairs Minister S Jaishankar, BJP president JP Nadda, and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Opposition parties were also well-represented, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and DMK’s TR Baalu among others.

Kharge, speaking to the media after the meeting, said, "We heard what was said (by the government). They said for the interest of the country, anything based on national security was confidential and they couldn't say anything about it. However, all the party members who were present said that in this hour of crisis, we are all with them and told them to keep doing the work, and we will support them for the interest of the country."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he had suggested that a global campaign should be launched against The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.