Leaders from all political parties have come together to strongly condemn the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. At an all-party meeting on Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government briefed political leaders on the April 22 attack, describing it as an attempt to destabilize the nation’s peace.
The government emphasized that the attack was part of a larger plot to disrupt the country’s atmosphere, particularly targeting the region’s tourism and economic revival. While the government received support from various political parties, opposition leaders, including Congress, raised concerns over possible security lapses.
Bipartisan Condemnation and Support for Government’s Anti-Terror Efforts
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who spoke after the meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, confirmed that all political parties expressed solidarity with the government in its fight against terrorism. “All parties stood united against terror,” Rijiju stated. The meeting also included intelligence briefings by the Intelligence Bureau and Union Home Ministry officials on preventive measures being implemented to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.
However, despite broad support for the government’s counter-terrorism efforts, the Congress, led by President Mallikarjun Kharge, pointed out a "security lapse." Kharge stressed that the party supported action against the attackers but raised concerns over the failure of local authorities to ensure proper security measures.
“We support all efforts against the attackers, but we flagged security lapses during the meeting,” said Kharge. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments, offering full support to the government while emphasizing the need for stronger security measures moving forward.
Government’s Assurance and Next Steps
In the wake of the attack, which occurred in a region seeing a revival of tourism and economic growth, the government reassured party leaders of its commitment to strengthen security and continue its crackdown on terrorism. Officials presented details of the attack and outlined current efforts to prevent future incidents, though specific details of any planned actions were not disclosed.
According to sources, the Pahalgam attack was strategically aimed at disrupting the region’s positive trajectory. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened the discussions, with Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka providing a 20-minute briefing on the incident and the government’s response. Home Minister Amit Shah also participated in the meeting, addressing questions from political leaders.
Security Lapse Concerns Raised by Opposition
While the meeting was largely constructive, opposition leaders voiced their concerns about the security lapses that allowed the attack to happen. Sources close to the discussions revealed that while there were troops stationed in Pahalgam, they were not deployed due to a lack of communication from local tour operators and hoteliers, who failed to inform authorities of the tourist movements to the Baisaran area.
Despite this, the opposition acknowledged the region's ongoing transformation, with fewer incidents of violence and increased interest from parliamentary committees visiting Jammu and Kashmir. These changes reflect a shift in the region’s security landscape, even as challenges remain.
In response to the cross-border nature of the attack, the government downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, expelling Pakistani military attachés and suspending the Indus Water Treaty. The government also ordered the closure of the Attari land transit post.
Following the all-party meeting, leaders from various parties pledged to support the government’s efforts in taking decisive action against those responsible for the attack, including possible links to Pakistan.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)