NEW DELHI: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he would pursue the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack to the end of the Earth, the country’s political parties, rising above party lines on Thursday, presented a strongly united front and pledged to stand with the government in its fight against terrorism.
“Ham saab sath hain, action lo” (We all are united, and take action) was the shared sentiment expressed by leaders of various parties at the meeting during the discussion on the incident. Sources revealed that the government during the meeting also acknowledged certain lapses in security and intelligence but shared all pertinent details with leaders of other parties, showcasing unity in the fight against terrorism. The Modi government gained unanimous support from all parties for launching action against terrorism.
The firm resolve to act together against terrorism and the forces behind the terror attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam on 22 April came during the all-party meeting convened by the Modi government a day after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met on Wednesday under the Prime Minister’s leadership to discuss the attack. The leaders present were comprehensively briefed on the Pakistan-engineered terror strike and the government’s initial plan of action as decided at the CCS meeting. The all-party meeting, apart from some suggestions rather than objections, depicted a united front of national solidarity during this crisis, with opposition leaders contributing views and suggestions to the government and gave a strong united message to Pakistan and its terror modules.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, told the media post-meeting that everyone had condemned the terror attack. “We support any action against terror,” Rahul told the media. Mallikarjun Kharge—chief of India’s main opposition party, Congress—stated that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, with Amit Shah also in attendance. “All parties have condemned the attack and we have said that all effrost should be made to maintain peace in Jammu and Kashmir,” Kharge said. Kharge later told the media also that he raised a point that PM Modi should have been at the meeting because his decision on the issue will remain final. TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was present at the meeting, later told the media that security lapses were discussed and the opposition assured the government of support for any anti-terror measures.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the entire nation was angry over the terror attack and demanded that the central government deliver a strong response to the terrorists in their own language. Condemning the terror acts, Singh said the way they (terrorists and Pakistan) executed the attack and killed innocents, their camps must be destroyed and action must be taken against Pakistan also. “We also demanded that accountability must be fixed on security lapses that gave a way to terrorists to come execute the attack,” he told the media.
After the meeting, Union Parliamentary Minister Kiren Rijiju told the press that decisions based on the CCS meeting were shared with leaders, along with the government’s zero tolerance stances on terror. “The defence minister informed the leaders about the incident. The Centre has also expressed its determination to take stringent action against terrorism,” he said. Intelligence Bureau and Ministry of Home Affairs officials also briefed the attendees on the incident, highlighting where some lapses were detected.
Meanwhile, sources said that Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged certain shortcomings in security arrangements during the meeting, and officials detailed how these were being addressed. “Officials explained the measures taken after the incident and all parties assured to remain with the government in the fight against terror, all parties in one voice had said to unitedly stand with the government. The meeting ended on a positive note,” Rijiju said. He praised the unity displayed at the meeting and urged that nothing should be seen through a political lens, but instead in the context of national unity against terror and Pakistan. “We would remain united in action to be taken against Pakistan and terror modules,” he remarked. However, some opposition leaders did raise concerns regarding the security failure and stressed the need to review and enhance security
arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir and other tourist destinations across the country. The all-party meeting commenced with a two-minute silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack last Tuesday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh initiated the meeting by presenting all details of the incident to party leaders and outlined the government’s intended strong response to the perpetrators. The meeting, which also included the chiefs of intelligence agencies, examined the attack in depth and unanimously pledged to stand united against the terrorism that struck at the soul of India.
Those present from the government included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Opposition leaders included Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. Also in attendance were NCP-SP’s Supriya Sule, NCP’s Praful Patel, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, BJD’s Sasmit Patra, TDP’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, TMC’s Sudip Bandopadhyay, RJD’s Premchand Gupta, DMK’s T Siva and SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav.
