Chindambaram defends Pakistan on Pahalgam attack, criticized

Senior Congress leader and Former Home Minister P Chidambaram, while giving an interview to The Quint on July 27, caused a stir with his remarks on the Pahalgam attack in 2025. He questioned the Union Government's handling of the incident and the Operation Sindoor that followed. Chidambaram accused the Modi Government of not sharing complete information and hiding key details related to the attack. 

While referring to the April 22 attack on civilians in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam, P Chidambaram said, "Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them, or even identified them? A news item had emerged about the arrest of a few people who gave the attackers shelter. What happened to them?"

When asked what he believes the Government is trying to hide, Chidambaram stated, "I think, and this is speculation, I think they are hiding the fact that we made tactical mistakes (during Operation Sindoor), and we re-strategised...the CDS hinted at that. What tactical mistakes were made? What was the re-strategising? Either the BJP Government is incompetent to answer these questions, or it is unwilling to do so." 

P Chidambaram further went on questioning the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in all this. He said, "They are unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done in all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that." 

Chidambaram added, "They are also hiding the losses. I said it in a column that in a war, losses will occur on both sides. I understand that India would have suffered losses. Be upfront." 

Chidambaram's comments come prior to the scheduled debate in Parliament on Monday, where the BJP and the opposition are going to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. But before that, the remarks have already stirred a debate outside the house. 

BJP leader Anurag Thakur slammed Congress for its pro-Pakistan leanings, saying, "Whenever it's about Pakistan and terror, even Pakistan doesn't advocate for itself as much as Rahul-occupied Congress does. What is the compulsion that Congress has to take Pakistan's side? Such a statement, coming from a former Home Minister, reveals the mentality of the Congress."

Another leader from the BJP, Amit Malviya, responded, "Once again, the Congress rushes to give a clean chit to Pakistan - this time after the Pahalgam terror attack. Why is it that every time our forces confront Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Congress leaders sound more like Islamabad's defence lawyers than India's opposition?"

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, while speaking to ANI, said, "He (P Chidambaram) has been a former Home Minister and has worked in a lot of ministries. In the history of the last 70 years between India and Pakistan, we have had wars with them and faced their terror activities. The proof is that first the TRF took the responsibility (of Pahalgam), then it retracted. Pakistan speaks at the UN on behalf of the TRF. The US has declared them a terrorist organisation." 

Adding, "People do not need proof. We have faced it. It is all done by Pakistan, which could neither progress itself nor does it want anyone else to do so." 

On the contrary, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut agreed with Chidambaram's remarks and said, "Chidambaram Sahib might be saying the right thing. The Home Minister should have resigned."