Amit Shah criticises former Home Minister P Chidambaram for seeking proof of the terrorists being from Pakistan

Home Minister Amit Shah said that as part of the investigation, the team engaged with family members of the victims, tourists, pony operators, photographers, and local residents. He said, more than one thousand individuals were questioned and based on the inputs gathered, composite sketches were prepared. Mr Shah said that subsequently on 22nd June, two individuals – Bashir and Parvez – were identified as those who had harboured the terrorists.

The Home Minister said the country’s security forces not only eliminated the terrorists but also targeted those who sent them. Mr Shah added that the day Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for the attack, the government gave the responsibility of delivering justice to the country’s armed forces.

He said, Operation Sindoor was launched on 7th May and carried out between 1:04 AM and 1:24 AM. He said nine terror sites in Pakistan were destroyed in this Operation and more than 100 terrorists were neutralised. Mr Shah said that no Pakistani civilians were killed in this attack and the targets were 100 kilometres inside Pakistan. He emphasised that the Narendra Modi government has a policy of Zero Tolerance against terrorism.

Mr Shah criticised former Home Minister P Chidambaram for seeking proof of the terrorists being from Pakistan, giving clean chit to Pakistan. He stressed that Operation Sindoor has unmasked Pakistan in front of the entire world. He hit out at the Opposition for politicising everything, saying that Pakistan had no option but to surrender as its striking capabilities were destroyed during Operation Sindoor. He said Pakistan’s DGMO called India’s DGMO on 10th May and a ceasefire was announced after that. He stressed that war has several consequences and everything has to be taken into account.

Participating in the discussion, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, attacked Pakistan, saying that a heartless attack was organised and orchestrated by Pakistan. He said, during Operation Sindoor, the opposition stood like a rock with the government. He attacked the Centre for reaching out to the Pakistani government just 22 minutes after launching Operation Sindoor and allegedly conveying that Pakistani military sites would not be targeted. He accused the Centre for lack of will to fight.

K Kanimozhi of DMK said Mr Shah criticised the Opposition and made it sound like they are less patriotic but DMK has never failed the nation. She added that the Opposition parties had extended their support to the government following the Pahalgam terror attack. Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party raised questions over the ceasefire announcement made during the Operation Sindoor accusing what pressure led to ceasefire. He said, the Pahalgam incident has proved that a security lapse can prove detrimental for the safety of citizens. He said, what steps are being taken by the



government to ensure the safety of the citizens in the future.

He lauded the role of the Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also lauded the role of the Armed Forces. She questioned why the Pahalgam terror attack happened on 22nd April, accusing that the government failed to maintain the security in Jammu and Kashmir. She said, when the terror incident happened there were no security forces there. She said, despite being the tourist hotspot, no medical facilities were available on the incident site.

Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde thanked the NDA government for giving him the opportunity to lead a delegation to different countries as part of global outreach against terrorism following Operation Sindoor. He said every country he went to said that India is playing a huge role in sensitising on terrorism and termed this as proof of India’s successful foreign policy.

Sayani Ghosh of TMC questioned how terrorists could reach a tourist place but police could not reach there on time. She termed the Pahalgam terror attack as a grave security lapse and criticised the government for intelligence failure. She expressed pride at the professionalism and precision with which airstrikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor.

Participating in the debate, Nishikant Dubey of BJP said the NDA government values every citizen and no terrorists will be spared. He expressed confidence that PoK will become part of India. A Raja of DMK alleged that inspite of an internal security report by RAW and IB, there were no security personnel at Pahalgam.

He claimed that none of the countries, be it G20 or BRICS, officially passed any resolution supporting India and condemning Pakistan. ET Mohamed Basheer of IUML said India was held in high regard and world leaders had very high regard for India. He questioned whether India enjoys the same status today and claimed that India’s stature is diminishing.

KC Venugopal of Congress said it is clear that the people behind the Pahalgam terror attack want to divide the country in the name of religion. He alleged third-party involvement in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan claiming this has never happened in the history of India. Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the strikes between India and Pakistan had to cease because the people living in border areas were suffering. She said it is the people who suffer whenever wars happen.

Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav said the government should take responsibility and accountability for the Pahalgam terror attack. She said the incident was a huge security lapse. She also asked why the announcement of the ceasefire was made by the US President. After the Prime Minister’s reply, the House was adjourned to meet again at 11 AM today.