'How is India fighting two front war with Pakistan and China', P Chidambaram asks govt

Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has questioned the government's strategy in handling a "two-front war" with Pakistan and China, asserting that the two nations are effectively unified. He specifically highlighted how, during a conflict with Pakistan, the aircraft used were Chinese, even if the pilots were Pakistani.

Chidambaram further demanded that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar disclose the details of his discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and President Xi Jinping, especially given China’s reported support for Pakistan. He questioned what assurances or understandings were reached during these high-level meetings in China.

Drawing a parallel to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Chidambaram recounted his swift visit to Mumbai as the then Home Minister and his candid admission of a security failure. He sharply criticized the current Modi government for what he perceives as a lack of acknowledgment regarding security lapses in the recent Pahalgam attack.

He further added that there are homegrown terrorists in India as well, who work with infiltrator terrorists. “Let’s accept the fact that the terror ecosystem has not been demolished,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha that all three terrorists neutralised in Monday's "Operation Mahadev" in Srinagar were Pakistani nationals, confirming their involvement in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. Shah's statement directly addressed recent remarks by Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who had questioned the evidence of Pakistani links and suggested the attackers might be "homegrown."

Responding firmly to Chidambaram's assertions, Shah declared that India possesses "irrefutable proof" of the terrorists' identity and origin. He accused Chidambaram of effectively providing a "clean chit" to Pakistan through his questioning.

During a discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, the Home Minister emphasized the conclusive nature of the evidence. "These were the same terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. We have irrefutable proof. Their Pakistani voter numbers were pulled out. Even the chocolates recovered from them were manufactured in Pakistan. What more evidence is needed?" Shah asserted, underscoring the government's certainty regarding their nationality and involvement.

On Chidambaram’s statement, Shah added: "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending Pakistan?... We have the proof that these three were Pakistanis. We have voter ID numbers of two of them... The chocolates recovered from them are made in Pakistan... The former Home Minister of this country is giving a clean chit to Pakistan. If they were not Pakistanis, then Chidambaram is also raising the question as to why Pakistan was attacked... 130 crore people are watching their conspiracy to save Pakistan..."