'Voter Numbers, Rifles, Chocolates': Amit Shah Gives Proof Of Pahalgam Terrorists' Pak Identity In LS After Chidambaram Said They Could Be 'Homegrown'; Watch
New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, July 29, hit back at senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha over his remarks questioning the Pakistani-origin of the terrorists involved in the recent Pahalgam attack. Shah said that by suggesting the attackers could be “homegrown”, Chidambaram has given a "clean chit" to both the terrorists and Pakistan.
Responding during the Monsoon Session, Shah cited crucial evidence recovered during Operation Mahadev, in which three terrorists were neutralised. "Our agencies have recovered rifles, chocolates, and two Pakistani voter ID cards from the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. This confirms their identity as Pakistanis," Shah said.
"Yesterday they (Congress) were asking us where the terrorists came from and who was responsible for it. Of course, it is our responsibility as we are in power. Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram ji raised the question - what is the proof that the terrorists came from Pakistan? I want to ask him what he will get by saving Pakistan. When he says this, it means they are giving a clean chit to Pakistan," he added.
Chidambaram had earlier questioned the government’s transparency on the investigation, asking, “Have they identified the terrorists? Where they came from?... for all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists.”
Identities of terrorists Confirmed
Shah confirmed that all three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, as Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran, who were killed in Operation Mahadev. He said that “the people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier,” and that once the terrorists’ bodies were brought to Srinagar, they were “identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies.”
Shah added that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already arrested those who had provided shelter to the terrorists.
Forensic Tests Confirmed Indentity
Providing further details on the investigation, Shah said that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report on the cartridges recovered from the Pahalgam terror site had already been prepared. “Yesterday, the rifles of the three terrorists were seized and matched with the FSL reports,” he informed Parliament. He noted that additional forensic tests were conducted in Chandigarh on the same day, following which it was conclusively confirmed that “these three were those who carried out the terror attack.”
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