New Delhi, July 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday gave a detailed account of Operation Mahadev in Parliament, sharply criticizing senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram for his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack. Chidambaram had triggered controversy by questioning the nationality of the terrorists and demanding proof that they had crossed over from Pakistan.
Shah condemned Chidambaram’s statement, saying it amounted to giving a “clean chit” to Pakistan. “The three terrorists responsible for the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam have been neutralized. Yet the Opposition seems unhappy about that,” he said.
The Home Minister revealed that the operation was launched only after conclusive scientific verification. “The final confirmation was made on the basis of ballistic analysis of the cartridges recovered from the scene of the attack. At 4:46 AM, six scientists called to confirm that the bullets matched 100% with those fired during the attack,” Shah told the House. “There is no room for doubt. The ballistic report is in my hand.”
Shah said the three terrorists were killed in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Indian Army, and all evidence—including weapons, ammunition, and materials recovered—linked them directly to the Pahalgam attack. He also disclosed that Pakistani-made chocolates were found on the bodies of the terrorists, and the rifles used matched the ballistic signature of those used in the massacre.
Further countering Chidambaram, Shah stated, “We have proof that all three terrorists were Pakistani nationals. Two of them had Pakistani voter ID numbers. We have their rifles, and we even have the Pakistani chocolates they were carrying. To deny they were Pakistani is to effectively give Pakistan a clean chit on the international stage—and this is coming from a former Home Minister.”
Slamming the Congress, Shah accused the Opposition of “only seeing the religion of the terrorists” and lacking the courage to confront Pakistan directly. “When you say these men were not Pakistanis, you’re protecting Pakistan. What does the Opposition stand to gain by doing that?” he asked.
He further revealed that the NIA had already taken into custody individuals who had provided shelter to the terrorists. “Four witnesses have confirmed the identity of the terrorists. Yet we didn’t rush into action. We waited for forensic confirmation. The cartridges were analyzed by the Chandigarh Forensic Science Laboratory and matched with the weapons recovered—an American M-9 rifle and two AK-47s. The bullets found at the crime scene were from these very weapons.”
“In the end, we acted only after every layer of verification was complete,” Shah concluded.