"3 Pahalgam Terrorists Killed in Operation Mahadev": Amit Shah in Lok Sabha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday confirmed in the Lok Sabha that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev were directly involved in the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, including several tourists.

Amit Shah's remarks reignited the intense debate on Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the attack, even as the Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2 PM in anticipation of a 16-hour-long deliberation on the military action.

The Home Minister revealed that the terrorists eliminated in Operation Mahadev were “A-Grade” operatives on the radar of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and were affiliated with the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Indian Army had earlier announced the success of Operation Mahadev, describing it as an intense firefight that neutralised the key perpetrators.

Responding to veteran Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who questioned the government on whether there was concrete proof linking the terrorists to Pakistan, Shah issued a sharp rebuke. “Pakistan ko bacha kar aapko kya milega?” (“What will you achieve from saving Pakistan?”) Shah asked Chidambaram directly, drawing loud reactions from the Treasury benches.

He further asserted that the government possessed irrefutable evidence confirming the Pakistani identity of the attackers.

“The government had obtained proof that the terrorists were Pakistanis, and this proof included their voter ID numbers, and Pakistani-made chocolate wrappers,” Shah told the House.

The Union Home Minister also confirmed that India had carried out military strikes both in Pakistan and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Referring to the operations in PoK, Shah asserted that these could be considered internal strikes, declaring, “Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is India’s, and will always remain ours.”

He further stated that the military action not only targeted terror camps but also exposed Pakistan’s deep-rooted policy of state-sponsored terrorism. According to Shah, the fact that Pakistan perceived India’s strike on terrorist infrastructure as an attack on itself served as undeniable proof of its complicity.

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