NEW DELHI: Two days after the government convened an all-party meeting on Pahalgam terror attack, several Opposition leaders slammed the Centre for allegedly “misleading” the meeting on the “security lapses”.
At the meeting, Home Ministry officials had briefed the Parliamentarians that tour operators did not seek permission from local authorities to visit the Baisaran valley, where the deadly attack took place. The officials also informed the leaders that the meadow opens around June but was opened on April 20, and tourists were taken to the areas without permission from the police and local authorities.
However, citing media reports and officials “that the meadow is open throughout the year barring snowy season”, Opposition parties, including Congress and Trinamool Congress questioned the veracity of the government’s claim.
Citing a media report, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and AICC general secretary media in-charge Jairam Ramesh said that the government seems to have ‘misinformed’ the meeting. “It appears that the all-party meeting on April 24th chaired by the Raksha Mantri was not briefed properly. Actually it seems to have been mis-informed,” he wrote on X.
Congress RS MP Randeep Surjewala said the intelligence and security failures in Pahalgam terror attack is becoming more intriguing. “Did the Home Minister, Defence Minister & Union BJP government lie to mislead the all-party meeting and the entire country? Why and for what reason?” he wrote on a post in X.
“Please see the chronology. On April 25th, Modi government admitted to security lapse in all-party meeting and pointed out that Baisaran ground was not to be opened for tourists till June 2025 and was opened without security deployment and clearance,” he said.
“Pahalgaon officials, tour operators and pony riders say Baisaran grounds always remain open and no security clearance is required.”
“Why was security, then, not deployed at Baisaran Grounds by the government, knowing fully well that Pahalgam is a high security zone with three tier security of Police-CRPF-Military and 70% tourists visit the Baisaran ground?” he said.
TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said, “Why did the Modi government and the Home Minister Amit Shah mislead the opposition by stating that no police permission was sought to open the Baisaran meadow where the massacre took place on April 22?...”