‘We have proof’: Amit Shah slams Chidambaram’s ‘homegrown’ terrorists remark; asks whom does he want to save? | India News

Chidambaram and Amit Shah (R)

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a sharp counterattack in the Lok Sabha, responding to Congress MP and former home minister Chidambaram’s remarks on the government’s handling of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. Defending the Centre’s stand, Shah asserted that there was clear evidence linking the attackers to Pakistan.“We have proof – two had Pakistani voter IDs, and even the chocolates they carried were made in Pakistan,” he said in Parliament.Speaking in a forceful tone, Shah questioned Chidambaram’s intent behind raising doubts about Pakistan’s involvement. “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…” Shah said in Parliament.Chidambaram’s comments had sparked controversy after he questioned the government’s lack of transparency regarding the investigation. “Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them? Why have you not even identified them? Suddenly a news item emerges that we have arrested two or three people who gave them shelter. Now what happened to that?” he said in a recent interview.He further added, “The Government is unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, where they came from? I mean, for all we know, they could be ‘homegrown’ terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There’s no evidence of that. They are also hiding the losses.”Responding point-by-point, Shah laid out the timeline and evidence gathered by investigating agencies. “…NIA had already arrested those who gave them shelter. Those who fed them were detained. When the terrorists’ dead bodies reached Srinagar, they were identified as the three people who carried out the terror attack in Pahalgam… The FSL report of the cartridges from the terror attack was already ready… Yesterday, the rifles of the three terrorists were seized and matched with the FSL reports… Further tests were carried out in Chandigarh yesterday, after that it was confirmed that these three were those who carried out the terror attack…” he said.Shah also confirmed the identities of the terrorists involved. “All three terrorists – Suleman, Afghan and Jibran were killed in yesterday’s operation. The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies,” he told the Lok Sabha.