NEW DELHI: Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had received an intelligence warning three days prior to the deadly attack in Pahalgam, yet failed to act on it.
Speaking at a rally in Jharkhand, Kharge claimed the BJP-led central government had admitted to an intelligence lapse and questioned why no preventive measures were taken despite the advance alert.
“There is an intelligence failure; the government has accepted it, and they will resolve it. If they knew this, why didn’t they take action?” Kharge remarked.
He referred to the media reports indicating that an intelligence warning was sent to PM Modi, prompting the cancellation of his visit to Occupied Kashmir.
He assured the government of full support for any actions following the attack. He asked why the Central government did not enhance security in Pahalgam if it had prior intelligence.
Reports suggest that the Intelligence Bureau had alerted local security forces about a potential threat to tourists around the time of Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Occupied Kashmir on April 19.
Although the visit was ultimately cancelled due to bad weather, the terror attack later took place in Pahalgam, approximately 90 kilometres from Srinagar.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government’s handling of the situation, questioning, “When intelligence agencies issued warnings about the visit, why wasn’t this information shared with the police and security forces? A horrific attack occurred, and the government admitted to an intelligence lapse—why was security not arranged for the tourists?”
In response, BJP spokesperson Kesavan condemned Kharge’s statements, describing them as “treacherous” and demanding an unconditional apology, while calling for clarity on the intelligence inputs that led to such comments.
Pahalgam Incident
The tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a deadly attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
India swiftly blamed Pakistan for the attack without presenting any credible evidence.
Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly rejected the Indian government’s baseless accusations.
A day after the Pahalgam incident on 23 April, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved measures including the closure of the Wagah-Attari border crossing and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an independent investigation into the incident.
Islamabad also warned that any attempt by India to stop or divert the Indus River waters would be considered an “act of war”.
