Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday told the Lok Sabha that all three terrorists killed during Monday’s Operation Mahadev in Srinagar were Pakistani nationals, and that they were the same individuals responsible for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. Shah’s remarks came in response to recent statements by senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who had questioned the government's claim that the attackers were from Pakistan, suggesting instead that they could have been “homegrown.”
Countering Chidambaram’s assertion, Shah said the government has irrefutable proof of the terrorists’ Pakistani origin. He revealed that two of the terrorists carried valid Pakistani voter identity numbers and that even the chocolates recovered from their possession were manufactured in Pakistan. “These were the same terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. We have irrefutable proof. Their Pakistani voter numbers were pulled out. What more evidence is needed?” Shah told the House.
He accused Chidambaram of giving Pakistan a "clean chit" with his remarks. "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending Pakistan?” Shah asked during a discussion on Operation Sindoor. He went on to say, “The former Home Minister of this country is giving a clean chit to Pakistan. If they were not Pakistanis, then Chidambaram is also raising the question as to why Pakistan was attacked... 130 crore people are watching their conspiracy to save Pakistan."
Also Read: No Modi-Trump call during Operation Sindoor: Jaishankar
Sharpening his criticism of the Congress, Shah continued, “Yesterday they were asking us where the terrorists came from and who was responsible for it. Of course, it is our responsibility as we are in power. But I want to ask Chidambaram—what will he get by saving Pakistan? When he says this, it means they are giving a clean chit to Pakistan.”
Chidambaram, who served as Home Minister during the UPA regime, had on Monday raised doubts about the attackers’ nationality. Speaking to the media, he had said, “Have they identified the terrorists? Where they came from? I mean, for all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that.”
Following backlash over his remarks, Chidambaram later issued a clarification on social media, accusing critics of running a misinformation campaign by selectively editing his interview. “Trolls are of different kinds and use different tools to spread misinformation. The worst kind is a troll who suppresses the full recorded interview, takes two sentences, mutes some words, and paints the speaker in a black colour!” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Also Read: Anurag Thakur slams Rahul: ‘Leader of Opposing Bharat’
Follow us
