Why is PM silent on Pulwama attack, asks Congress

JANUARY 02, 2018 21:53 IST

The Congress on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Modi’s silence on Sunday’s terror attack at a CRPF camp in Pulwama that resulted in the death of five personnel.

Raising the issue in Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia asked if the government had a Pakistan policy. He also raised concerns over National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s “secret meeting” with his Pakistani counterpart in Bangkok despite authorities in Pakistan mistreating the family of jailed former Indian naval commander Kulbhushan Jadhav.

“What is the government’s Pakistan policy? The NSA met the Pakistani NSA in Bangkok after the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav was ill-treated by Pakistan. On the other hand, cross-border attacks are going on,” Mr. Scindia said.

The reference was to a report published in Pakistani daily Dawn where a Pakistani security official was quoted as saying that a meeting between Pakistan NSA (Retd) Lt. Gen. Nasser Khan Janjua and Mr. Doval took place on December 27 in Thailand.

However, there has been no official word on the meeting from New Delhi.

Talking about the Pulwama attack, the Congress leader said the government had failed to protect vital military installations from terror strikes despite previous the attacks on bases in Pathankot, Uri and Udhampur.

Mr. Scindia also said despite a security committee headed by Lt. General (retd.) Philip Campose suggesting specific measures to strengthen security, the government was yet to act on it. He alleged that despite Intelligence inputs, the government had failed to prevent the attack.

“When people were celebrating (the New Year), Pakistan-sponsored terrorists attacked a CRPF camp in Pulwama. Five soldiers laid down their lives. The soldiers are sacrificing their lives protecting the country but the government does not look serious in protecting them,” he said.

The Congress also demanded an apology from BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Rampur, Nepal Singh, who reportedly said security personnel should be ready for death because of their profession.

Countering Mr. Scindia, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the Congress should refrain from politicising a sensitive issue. “We killed around 200 terrorists in the last two years. Scindiaji may want to do politics but we don’t want to politicise a sensitive issue,” said Mr Kumar.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who was presiding over the proceedings, also asked members not to politicise the issue. Earlier, when the Speaker entered the Lok Sabha chamber, some BJP members could be seen raising slogans of “Pakistan murdabad (Down with Pakistan).” The Speaker described the Pulwama attack as a cowardly act.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/why-is-pm-silent-on-pulwama-attack-asks-congress/article22353679.ece