Former Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that there is no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam terrorist attack; the attackers were Indian nationals.
In an interview The Quint he said: “Have they (NIA) identified the terrorists or where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that.”
“Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them, or even identified them? A news item had emerged about the arrest of a few people who gave the attackers shelter. What happened to them?” he asked, referring to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people.
Chidambaram also highlighted what he described as the absence of clear and official communication.
“We get snatches and bits of information from different officers. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) goes to Singapore and makes a statement that give you bits of information. The deputy army chief makes a statement in Mumbai. In Indonesia, a junior officer of the Navy makes a statement. But why is the PM or the defence minister, or the foreign minister not making a comprehensive statement?” he said.
When asked what he thought the government was attempting to conceal, Chidambaram replied: “I think, and this is speculation, I think they are hiding the fact that we made tactical mistakes (during Operation Sindoor), and we re-strategised…
The CDS gave a hint about it. What were the tactical errors? What changes were made to the strategy? Either the BJP government lacks the competence to answer these questions or it is deliberately avoiding them,” Chidambaram said.
He also raised concerns about the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) involvement in the probe.
“They are unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that,” he said.
Chidambaram further added: “They are also hiding the losses. I said it in a column that in a war, losses will occur on both sides. I understand that India would have suffered losses. Be upfront.”
Hitting back, BJP leaders questioned why senior Congress figures appear to echo Pakistan’s defence every time Indian security forces are targeted. “Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan, this time after the Pahalgam terror attack,” the BJP leader Amit Malviya said in a post on X, adding, “Why is it that every time our forces confront Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Congress leaders sound more like Islamabad’s defence lawyers than India’s opposition?”
