New Delhi: Congress leader Udit Raj sparked controversy on Tuesday by claiming that the terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack, who was killed by the Indian Army on Monday, could have been neutralised earlier.
He further alleged that the army was deliberately restrained from taking action because “Operation Sindoor was scheduled to be discussed in Parliament today.”
“They have stopped the army multiple times… It is very possible that the terrorist involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, who was killed today, could have been killed earlier… But the army was not allowed to act because Operation Sindoor was supposed to be discussed in the Parliament today. It may have been kept on hold for this day. It is event management. It is possible that he was held earlier, just killed today… Why was he not caught earlier, and where are the rest?…,” Udit Raj said, as reported by ANI.
The Army’s elite para commandos on Monday gunned down the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack along with two of his associates in an encounter in a forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar in Kashmir.
Officials said Sulieman alias Asif, who is believed to be the mastermind of the April 22 attack, was killed after the security forces launched a surprise action, codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’, following a technical signal indicating the use of a satellite phone that was used by the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.
The other terrorists killed in the action have been identified as Jibran – who was allegedly involved in the Sonamarg Tunnel attack last year – and Hamza Afghani.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha on Tuesday will continue its discussion on Operation Sindoor for the second day.
The Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on ‘India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The lower house held a discussion on Operation Sindoor months after its initiation, amid the opposition’s demand for the same. The discussion concluded at around 1:00, with the opposition and ruling party leaders at loggerheads with each other.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took a swipe at the opposition during a discussion on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha, stating that focus must not remain on small issues when aiming to achieve a higher feat, since it can divert attention from national security.
“When the aim is to go higher, we should not pay attention to small issues because focusing on issues that remain comparatively small can divert attention from national security,” Singh said while addressing the lower house of Parliament on Operation Sindoor.