Former Indian Home Minister and veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram has questioned New Delhi’s narrative on the Pahalgam incident, challenging the claim that the attackers came from Pakistan.
In an interview with The Quint, Chidambaram criticized the authorities’ handling of the April 22 attack. He pointed out the lack of evidence to support India’s claim regarding Pakistan’s role.
Chidambaram asked, “Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them, or even identified them?” He also questioned the role of investigating agencies, saying, “They are unwilling to disclose what the National Investigation Agency has done all these weeks.”
He also questioned the failure of India in identifying and capturing the terrorists involved in Pahalgam Attack. He added that there was no evidence of Pakistan’s Involvement in Pahalgam. “Have they identified the terrorists or where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that.”
The Congress leader also criticized the lack of clear official information, saying, “We get snatches and bits of information from different officers… But why is the PM or the defence minister, or the foreign minister not making a comprehensive statement?”
When asked what he believed the government was trying to hide, Chidambaram responded, “I think they are hiding the fact that we made tactical mistakes… and we re-strategised… They are also hiding the losses.”
Chidambaram’s remarks prompted criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP instead of answering the questions, accused him of defending Pakistan.
In parliament, BJP members accused the Congress party of speaking the language of Pakistan and took exception to Chidambaram’s remarks. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh avoided answering questions about India’s losses in the conflict.
It is however important to note that despite three months, India has yet failed to identify and arrest attackers involved in Pahalgam Attack. At different instances, it blamed Pakistan, forced a conflict. However at every forum, India failed to provide any evidence at all. This had resulted in the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, when India lost 5 Aircrafts.