*Former Indian Home Minister suspects involvement of domestic elements inthe attack*
ISLAMABAD: The hardline Modi government is under intense political pressureafter senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaramdismissed the claim that Pakistan was behind the Pahalgam attack, insteadraising serious questions about the government’s narrative.
According to Indian media, in a recent interview with *The Quint*, P.Chidambaram said that the Pahalgam attack might have been carried out bydomestic terrorists. He emphasized that the government has no solidevidence proving that the attackers came from Pakistan.
Chidambaram questioned, “Has the National Investigation Agency (NIA)identified the attackers? Do we know where they came from? It’s possiblethey were from within the country. Why has it been assumed that they camefrom Pakistan when there is no concrete evidence?”
His statement has triggered a political storm in India, particularly at atime when the Modi government has already taken drastic steps such assuspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, based on unverifiedallegations.
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It should be noted that on April 22, a suspected attack in the Pahalgamregion of Kashmir led to the deaths of 26 tourists. The very next day, onApril 23, the Modi government blamed Pakistan and announced the immediatesuspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a move that drew criticism evenwithin India. Now, Chidambaram’s statement has further intensified thedebate.
The former Home Minister also accused the government of hiding the lossesincurred during Operation Sandur, suggesting that it is using the attackfor political mileage. He alleged that the government is misleading bothinstitutions and the public by placing baseless blame on Pakistan.
Opposition leaders and independent analysts in India are calling for atransparent and impartial investigation into the incident to reveal thetruth. Chidambaram’s statement undeniably delivers a major setback to theModi government’s narrative, which may have far-reaching consequences forIndian politics in the days to come.