Kharge Alleges PM Modi Cancelled J&K Visit After Intel Alert Before Pahalgam Attack
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday made a serious allegation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the PM cancelled a scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir after receiving intelligence inputs warning of a possible terror attack in the region. According to Kharge, the intel alert was sent to the Prime Minister three days before the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
“There is an intelligence failure. The government has accepted it and said they will fix it,” Kharge told reporters. “But if they already had information, why was no preventive action taken? I got information that three days before the attack, an intelligence report was sent to PM Modi, and therefore, he cancelled his programme to visit Kashmir. I also read this in a newspaper,” he added.
Kharge’s remarks come amid growing political heat over the government’s handling of the Pahalgam incident, where terrorists opened fire on tourists vacationing in the popular hill town in Anantnag district. The Congress chief questioned the administration’s preparedness and response mechanisms, especially in light of prior warnings.
The central government reportedly admitted during a closed-door all-party meeting on April 24 that there were security lapses surrounding the Pahalgam attack, according to sources quoted by India Today TV. Opposition leaders at the meeting were informed that local authorities had not informed security agencies before opening the Baisaran meadow area to tourists. The region, located above Pahalgam, typically remains closed to civilians until the annual Amarnath Yatra begins in June.
Kharge used the admission of an intelligence failure to question the central government’s overall security strategy in Jammu and Kashmir. “If you knew there was a threat, why weren’t better arrangements made to protect civilians? Why was the area opened prematurely without proper security clearance?” he asked.
Separately, a PTI report, citing an official familiar with the matter, stated that intelligence agencies had issued warnings days before the attack about potential targeting of tourists, particularly those staying in hotels on the outskirts of Srinagar, near the Zabarwan range.
The report also revealed that terrorists may have planned the attack to coincide with Prime Minister Modi’s proposed visit to flag off the first train service from Katra to Srinagar. The visit, initially scheduled for April 19, was postponed due to adverse weather forecasts predicting high-speed winds in the Katra region, according to officials. However, the proximity in timing between the intel alert and the postponed visit has fueled speculation and political controversy.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not officially responded to Kharge’s claims.
This political row has added another layer of complexity to an already tense security environment in the Union Territory. Security forces have since intensified operations in the region, and additional deployments have been made to tourist hubs to ensure safety in the run-up to the Amarnath Yatra and the Lok Sabha elections.
As the government faces mounting questions from the opposition and the public, the spotlight remains firmly on the handling of intelligence warnings, preventive security measures, and transparency in decision-making during times of potential national threat.
