Jammu: Ahead of a high-level visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs was briefed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on India’s relations with China and Pakistan, with a special focus on border developments and emerging strategic challenges.
The briefing was part of a pre-departure orientation session for the committee, which is scheduled to undertake an extensive field visit to Jammu, Srinagar, Leh and Kargil from June 22 to 25 to assess ground realities and security dynamics in border regions.
The meeting, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, focused on two key agenda points—“Understanding India-China relations and the way forward,” with special reference to the India-China border, and “Recent developments in India-Pakistan relations,” particularly along the India-Pakistan border.
After the meeting, Tharoor described it as a “very thorough briefing,” stating that it was primarily meant to prepare members for their upcoming field study. He said the Foreign Secretary and senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) provided detailed inputs on both strategic fronts, as the committee prepares to engage directly with border realities during its visit.
Tharoor said the delegation will be visiting key locations in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Srinagar, Jammu, Leh and Kargil, where they will receive additional briefings from local authorities and security establishments. He added that members are also scheduled to visit LoC lookout points in Kargil and interact with military officials on the ground situation, although they will not directly access sensitive forward posts along the Line of Control.
“The Foreign Secretary briefed us on Indo-Pak and India-China issues because these are the two major focus areas of our tour. We will also receive detailed briefings from the military during our visit,” Tharoor said.
He further indicated that the committee may consider preparing a report after the visit, though discussions would continue before any formal conclusions are drawn.
The meeting was attended by several senior parliamentarians including Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Arun Govil (BJP), Sanatan Pandey (SP), and Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM). The session lasted nearly one and a half hours.
Officials said the upcoming visit is expected to provide lawmakers with first-hand insights into border management, security preparedness, and developmental challenges in the strategically significant Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
