Modi had prior information about Pahalgam attack: Congress president

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cancelled his visit to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kahsmir (IIOJK) after having prior information related the Pahalgam attack.

In a statement, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said Narendra Modi canceled his trip to IIOJK in April due to an intelligence report received three days prior to the Pahalgam attack.

India Today quoted the Congress president as saying, “I got information that three days before the attack, an intelligence report was sent to Modi Ji, and that is why Modi Ji cancelled his visit to Kashmir.”

“When an intelligence report says that it is not proper to visit there for your security, why did you not inform your security, intelligence, local police and border forces to protect people? When you got the information, you cancelled your program but did not send more forces to protect tourists there,” he questioned.

The Congress president went on to say that the government accepted intelligence failure during an all-party meeting held after the Pahalgam attack.

It is pertinent to mention here that tensions have escalated between Pakistan and India after the latter’s baseless allegations against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 persons, the majority of whom were tourists.

Without providing any proof, India accused Pakistan of the attack shortly after it happened.

Read More: Pakistan warns India of befitting response to any misadventure

India’s foreign ministry announced to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance and close the Attari and Wagah borders. Pakistani nationals will no longer be able to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption.

The Indian foreign ministry also announced to India recall all its defense attachés from Islamabad.

The Indian foreign ministry maintained that the number of diplomatic staff will be reduced from 55 to 30, asking the military advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to leave the country within a week.

In a befitting response, Pakistan rejected the Indian announcement to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and closed its airspace to Indian flights.

The decision was taken in the National Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad following Indian aggression.

The participants discussed the national security environment and the regional situation, particularly in the wake of Pahalgam attack in the Anantnag District of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday last.

The committee highlighted that the Indus Waters Treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension.

National Security Committee said in statement “Water is a Vital National Interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs”.

“Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power”. it added.