Staff Reporter / NEW DELHI
Lok Sabha today resumed special discussion on Operation Sindoor. Participating in the discussion, Home Minister Amit Shah said that during Operation Mahadev yesterday, the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police neutralised the three terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.
He said three rifles were seized from the terrorists which were used in the Pahalgam terror attack. Mr Shah informed that the three terrorists – Suleiman Shah, Jibran and Hamza Afghani – were successfully eliminated. He said Suleiman was an ‘A’ category terrorist, who was deeply involved in the Pahalgam and Gagangir terror attacks. He added that intelligence agencies have substantial evidence of his role.
Mr Shah said innocent tourists were brutally killed in front of their family members in the Pahalgam terror attack. He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted with unwavering resolve in response and authorised Operation Sindoor. He emphasised that security forces were instructed not to allow terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack to leave the country. He hailed the country’s armed forces saying they eliminated the terrorists and dismantled their camps with surgical precision.
The Home Minister 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. He 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. He 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, 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, 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 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.
The discussion is underway.