Parliamentary panel briefed on India-Pakistan tensions

New Delhi, March 1 (IANS) External Affairs Ministry top official on Friday briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on bilateral relations with Pakistan in view of India's attack on terror camps in the neighbouring country, followed by Pakistan's aerial incursion.

According to sources, the members of the panel, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, suggested that the government tell the international community more extensively and emphatically that it was not an attack on Pakistan but a targeted attack on terror camps and terrorism.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the members of the parliamentary panel about the sequence of events since the air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan to how the Indian forces foiled Pakistan's aerial incursion by shooting down one of their F-16 fighter jets in a dogfight which also led to the loss of one of India's MiG-21 Bison fighter jets, sources said.

All members of the parliamentary panel hailed the action of the Indian Air Force and called it a "heroic job".

Sources added that Gokhale was also asked about the third-party intervention by the US and the UAE, to which he responded that he "could not speak for US President Donald Trump".

Trump had on Thursday said that the US had been "going at it" and had been involved in trying to have India and Pakistan de-escalate the matter. The US President had said that there is "some reasonably decent news" and hopefully it's coming to an end.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is also a member of the panel, was not present at the meeting.