A day after Congress members lodged a strong protest, the government relented on Friday and arranged a briefing for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence about the surgical strikes.
Vice Chief of Army Staff
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat gave a 20-minute briefing on the surgical strikes carried out by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, but took no questions.
Congress member Madhusudan Mistry, who had questioned the "last-minute" change in the agenda of the committee meeting, was keen on seeking some more clarifications, but his request was turned down.
Committee chairman
Maj Gen B C Khanduri (Retd) made it clear that the agenda had included only a 'briefing' and not a 'question and answer session'. He said the army did not share sensitive operational details about the strikes.
The Lok Sabha secretariat also issued a clarification that the Standing Committee on Defence only wanted a "briefing" from the army and not any "visual presentation" on the surgical strikes, as the Director General of Military Operations had earlier briefed the leaders of all political parties.
"The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence, Maj Gen B C Khanduri, AVSM (Retd), never directed the defence secretary to arrange for a visual presentation by the army on the surgical strikes," said a statement from Gurunam Singh, Joint Director of Press and Public Relations Wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
A meeting of the committee was earlier scheduled for October 6, but was postponed to October 14.
On Monday, the committee had informed its members that there would be no briefing on the surgical strikes and the panel would instead deliberate on e-postal ballots for the armed forces.
Friday's meeting began on a stormy note with the Congress members questioning the abrupt change in the agenda of the committee meetings. They were pacified when it was told that the Vice Chief of the Army would brief them on the surgical strikes.
"There was some heated exchange over the agenda of the meeting," a member of the committee said.
Asked about the briefing on surgical strikes, another member of the committee merely said it was a "good briefing". "It was largely on the lines of the briefing by the DGMO to leaders of political parties," a third member said.
![]( "Lt Gen Bipin Rawat gave a 20-minute briefing on the surgical strikes carried out by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, but took no questions. pti file photo")
A day after Congress members lodged a strong protest, the government relented on Friday and arranged a briefing for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence about the surgical strikes.
Vice Chief of Army Staff
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat gave a 20-minute briefing on the surgical strikes carried out by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, but took no questions.
Congress member Madhusudan Mistry, who had questioned the "last-minute” change in the agenda of the committee meeting, was keen on seeking some more clarifications, but his request was turned down.
Committee chairman
Maj Gen B C Khanduri (Retd) made it clear that the agenda had included only a 'briefing’ and not a 'question and answer session’. He said the army did not share sensitive operational details about the strikes.
The Lok Sabha secretariat also issued a clarification that the Standing Committee on Defence only wanted a "briefing” from the army and not any "visual presentation” on the surgical strikes, as the Director General of Military Operations had earlier briefed the leaders of all political parties.
"The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence, Maj Gen B C Khanduri, AVSM (Retd), never directed the defence secretary to arrange for a visual presentation by the army on the surgical strikes,” said a statement from Gurunam Singh, Joint Director of Press and Public Relations Wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
A meeting of the committee was earlier scheduled for October 6, but was postponed to October 14.
On Monday, the committee had informed its members that there would be no briefing on the surgical strikes and the panel would instead deliberate on e-postal ballots for the armed forces.
Friday’s meeting began on a stormy note with the Congress members questioning the abrupt change in the agenda of the committee meetings. They were pacified when it was told that the Vice Chief of the Army would brief them on the surgical strikes.
"There was some heated exchange over the agenda of the meeting,” a member of the committee said.
Asked about the briefing on surgical strikes, another member of the committee merely said it was a "good briefing”. "It was largely on the lines of the briefing by the DGMO to leaders of political parties,” a third member said.
Vice Chief of Army Staff
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat gave a 20-minute briefing on the surgical strikes carried out by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, but took no questions.
Congress member Madhusudan Mistry, who had questioned the "last-minute" change in the agenda of the committee meeting, was keen on seeking some more clarifications, but his request was turned down.
Committee chairman
Maj Gen B C Khanduri (Retd) made it clear that the agenda had included only a 'briefing' and not a 'question and answer session'. He said the army did not share sensitive operational details about the strikes.
The Lok Sabha secretariat also issued a clarification that the Standing Committee on Defence only wanted a "briefing" from the army and not any "visual presentation" on the surgical strikes, as the Director General of Military Operations had earlier briefed the leaders of all political parties.
"The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence, Maj Gen B C Khanduri, AVSM (Retd), never directed the defence secretary to arrange for a visual presentation by the army on the surgical strikes," said a statement from Gurunam Singh, Joint Director of Press and Public Relations Wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
A meeting of the committee was earlier scheduled for October 6, but was postponed to October 14.
On Monday, the committee had informed its members that there would be no briefing on the surgical strikes and the panel would instead deliberate on e-postal ballots for the armed forces.
Friday's meeting began on a stormy note with the Congress members questioning the abrupt change in the agenda of the committee meetings. They were pacified when it was told that the Vice Chief of the Army would brief them on the surgical strikes.
"There was some heated exchange over the agenda of the meeting," a member of the committee said.
Asked about the briefing on surgical strikes, another member of the committee merely said it was a "good briefing". "It was largely on the lines of the briefing by the DGMO to leaders of political parties," a third member said.
A day after Congress members lodged a strong protest, the government relented on Friday and arranged a briefing for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence about the surgical strikes. Vice Chief of Army Staff
Lt Gen Bipin Rawat gave a 20-minute briefing on the surgical strikes carried out by the army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, but took no questions.
Congress member Madhusudan Mistry, who had questioned the "last-minute” change in the agenda of the committee meeting, was keen on seeking some more clarifications, but his request was turned down.
Committee chairman
Maj Gen B C Khanduri (Retd) made it clear that the agenda had included only a 'briefing’ and not a 'question and answer session’. He said the army did not share sensitive operational details about the strikes.
The Lok Sabha secretariat also issued a clarification that the Standing Committee on Defence only wanted a "briefing” from the army and not any "visual presentation” on the surgical strikes, as the Director General of Military Operations had earlier briefed the leaders of all political parties.
"The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence, Maj Gen B C Khanduri, AVSM (Retd), never directed the defence secretary to arrange for a visual presentation by the army on the surgical strikes,” said a statement from Gurunam Singh, Joint Director of Press and Public Relations Wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
A meeting of the committee was earlier scheduled for October 6, but was postponed to October 14.
On Monday, the committee had informed its members that there would be no briefing on the surgical strikes and the panel would instead deliberate on e-postal ballots for the armed forces.
Friday’s meeting began on a stormy note with the Congress members questioning the abrupt change in the agenda of the committee meetings. They were pacified when it was told that the Vice Chief of the Army would brief them on the surgical strikes.
"There was some heated exchange over the agenda of the meeting,” a member of the committee said.
Asked about the briefing on surgical strikes, another member of the committee merely said it was a "good briefing”. "It was largely on the lines of the briefing by the DGMO to leaders of political parties,” a third member said.