In the wake of the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, the Centre has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to deliberate on the incident. However, participation has been limited to parties with a minimum of five Members of Parliament in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
This eligibility threshold excluded several regional and national parties, including the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Reacting sharply to his exclusion, Mr Owaisi termed the move “undemocratic”. Click here for Pahalgam terror attack live updates
“Regarding the Pahalgam All Party Meeting, I spoke to Kiren Rijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with ‘5 or 10 MPs’. When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get ‘too long’. When I asked, ‘What about us, the smaller parties?’ He joked that my voice is anyway, too loud.” Mr Owaisi said in a statement.
Regarding the Pahalgam All Party Meeting, I spoke to @KirenRijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long.” When I asked “What about us, the smaller…
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 24, 2025
“This is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all-party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism & those countries that harbour terrorists,” he added.
The Centre will brief leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and hear their views at the meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to brief the leaders, official sources said. Mr Singh will chair the meeting.
“Your own party does not have a majority. Whether it is a party with 1 MP or 100, they were both elected by Indians and deserve to be heard on such an important matter. This is not a political issue, it is a national issue. Everyone must be heard. I urge Narendra Modi to make this a real ALL Party Meeting, every party with an MP in Parliament must be invited,” Mr Owaisi said.
The Centre had convened similar all-party meetings in the aftermath of critical national security incidents such as the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 or during the India-China standoff in 2020.
