A special discussion on Operation Sindoor continued in the Lok Sabha on July 29 with Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivering a detailed statement linking the Pahalgam terror attack to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. The session, which will conclude with a speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7 PM, also saw Defence Minister Rajnath Singh set to initiate a 16-hour-long debate in the Rajya Sabha.
In a hard-hitting address, Amit Shah disclosed the meticulous investigation process that followed the June Pahalgam terror attack, in which several tourists and locals were killed. He said the Indian security forces, including the Army, CRPF, and J&K Police, launched a joint counter-terror mission, Operation Mahadev, culminating in the killing of all three terrorists involved: Sulaiman, Jibran, and a third identified only as Afghani. Shah confirmed all three were Pakistani nationals and affiliated with the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"Our security forces neutralised more than 100 terrorists during Operation Sindoor," says Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. https://t.co/fW12ZPaxWs pic.twitter.com/pxq7bSrQrQ
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025
Detailing the investigative efforts, Shah revealed that 1,055 individuals, including victims’ families, tourists, pony wallahs, photographers, and local residents, were interrogated for over three hours each. Based on their inputs, sketches of the suspects were prepared. This eventually led to the identification of Bashir and Parvez, two local men who had sheltered the terrorists. Both were traced and taken into custody on June 22.
Slamming Congress veteran P. Chidambaram for his recent remarks questioning the Pakistani origin of the attackers, Shah said, “Yesterday they (Congress) were asking us where the terrorists came from and who was responsible. Of course, it is our responsibility as we are in power. But when former Home Minister Chidambaram ji asks ‘What is the proof the terrorists came from Pakistan?’, I want to ask him, what will he gain by saving Pakistan?”
Shah further said, “We have the voter ID of two of the terrorists. We have the rifles used in the attack. What more proof is required?” He accused the opposition of indirectly offering a “clean chit” to Pakistan and questioned their priorities in the fight against terror.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "Following Operation Sindoor, our DGMO informed the Pak DGMO that India has attacked terror infrastructure on their land as per our right of self-defence. It cannot be like how it happened during Manmohan Singh's government, that terrorists… pic.twitter.com/ejZgWoPQd8
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025
His remarks stirred commotion in the House, particularly when he said, “Don’t get upset by looking at the religion of the terrorists killed,” prompting vocal interruptions from the opposition benches. Undeterred, Shah maintained his stance, remarking that some in the opposition seemed uncomfortable with the success of the security forces in neutralising the terrorists — a moment, he said, that should unite the nation, not divide it.
Shah also confirmed that several overground workers (OGWs) had been detained and interrogated in the lead-up to Operation Mahadev. Their inputs played a critical role in tracking down the militants.
“In a joint Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police have neutralised all three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack,” Shah said, affirming that India’s counter-terror strategy remains firm and uncompromising.
