Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded accountability be fixed for the “intelligence failure” and “security lapses” that led to the Pahalgam terror attack. He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” on US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the military conflict following the Pahalgam attack. Speaking immediately after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened the House discussion on Operation Sindoor, Kharge raised questions over the Home Minister’s statement in April about the terror infrastructure being crippled in J&K. Kharge asked why did the PM cancel his scheduled trip to J&K three days before the April 22 Pahalgam attack and if the government had intelligence inputs about a terror strike. Pointing to past terror attacks such as Uri (2016), Pathankot (2016) and Pulawama (2019), Kharge said: “In all these attacks, one thing is clear, there is failure in intelligence and you will have to accept this. I want to ask the Home Minister, who is responsible for this… if you are then you should vacate your seat. If not, then what action is the Prime Minister taking?” he said. Quoting J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s comments during an interview that the Pahalgam attack was undoubtedly due to a security failure, Kharge said, “If the LG has accepted this as a security failure, when will accountability get fixed, did he say this to save the Home Minister? Only you can tell us.” He also asked the Government if there was third-party mediation involved in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and whether trade was a factor. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he used trade as leverage to end the military conflict. “I am seeking answers from the PM. Why has he not condemned it (Trump’s claims)? Did the US interfere in this, and on whose bidding? What were the conditions? Did the US President mediate the ceasefire, and were there threats on trade to announce the ceasefire? We never entertain third party mediation, this is our policy,” Kharge said.
