Pahalgam Attack Was Not Anticipated, Admits Government at All-Party Meet

New Delhi – A high-level all-party meeting was convened on Thursday. Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau were present. They admitted to a significant oversight. They failed to foresee the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The officials called this a “lapse in assessment.” According to officials present at the meeting, the area had no prior history of such incidents, particularly targeting tourists. This made the attack an unexpected deviation from known patterns.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the floor leaders of various political parties were briefed on the tragic incident. “There has been complete consensus among all parties on standing united in the fight against terrorism,” he said. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, echoed the sentiment. He expressed the opposition’s support for any decisive action the government may take.

Officials pointed out that attacks in tourist-heavy areas like Pahalgam and Anantnag are unprecedented. This is mainly because such violence would severely affect local livelihoods. “This element of surprise is what contributed to the failure in preempting the assault,” sources said.

Top ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, were in attendance. Singh briefed the gathering on the steps taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security. He reiterated India’s firm stance of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism. “This incident is deeply disturbing, and the government is committed to taking stronger action moving forward,” he reportedly told attendees.

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from the meeting. He noted that the Prime Minister’s presence would have lent more weight to the discussion. The PM was reportedly in Bihar at the time.

Rijiju later told reporters that the meeting concluded on a positive and unified note. All parties backed ongoing and potential actions against cross-border terrorism. He emphasized that India has always taken a strong stance against terrorism and will continue to do so.

Additionally, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar briefed President Droupadi Murmu on the latest developments. They also discussed the evolving security scenario.