Govt Admits Security 'Lapse' in Pahalgam Attack at All-Party Meet

At the all-party meeting held on Thursday, April 24, the Union government acknowledged that despite positive developments in recent years, such as the revival of businesses and tourism, the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives was a “lapse” in security.

During the meeting, opposition members expressed their support for the government’s efforts to combat terrorism but also questioned Prime Minister Modi’s absence, raised concerns over the security lapses that led to the attack, and highlighted the hate campaign being fueled in the media and on social media in its aftermath.

The all-party meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and saw the participation of several key ministers from the government, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Prime Minister Modi, who earlier on Thursday pledged “punishment beyond imagination” during a National Panchayati Raj Day event in Bihar’s Madhubani, did not attend the all-party meeting and went ahead with his pre-scheduled engagements in the poll-bound state.

Representatives of the Janata Dal (United), a key ally of the BJP both at the Centre and in Bihar, were also absent from the all-party meeting, reportedly due to the Prime Minister’s visit to the state.

Notably, the National Conference, currently in power in Jammu and Kashmir, was absent from the meeting as the government reportedly did not extend any official invitation to the party.

‘Lapse’ in Security Cited After Pahalgam Terror Attack, Government Faces Scrutiny

After the meeting, Rijiju said the defence minister told the leaders about the steps taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the home ministry also explained to the leaders that the incident was a "lapse," even though things had been going well in recent years.

"This is a very unfortunate incident, and the government has promised stricter action," he told reporters after the meeting.

“For the last few years, businesses were running well, tourists were coming; this incident has spoiled that environment and everyone raised their concerns about this. All political parties presented their views and made it clear that the country needs to stand and speak in one voice against terror.”

Rijiju stated that officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Ministry of Home Affairs also provided party leaders with a briefing on “where lapses occurred.”

Officials, including those from the IB and the Home Ministry, provided a briefing on the incident, outlining how it unfolded and identifying the lapses that occurred.

"The incident occurred in an area that is not accessible by the main road; one must walk or travel by pony to reach it. The main road is about 2 to 2.5 hours away from the meadow where the incident took place. Despite everything going well, officials stated that this incident represents a lapse, and everyone is deeply pained by it. To prevent such incidents in the future, this was emphasised during the briefing."

“All parties said that they are with the government against terrorism and the whole country is with the government,” he said.

Opposition members have raised concerns about security lapses and an intelligence failure.

Sources revealed that during the meeting, party leaders were informed that the area where the incident occurred, Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley, is typically opened to tourists in June. Local authorities must be notified when tourists are brought there, but this procedure was not followed. Instead, small groups of tourists were sent to the area starting April 20 without informing the local authorities.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh said after the meeting, "You are claiming that it is a sensitive area and only opens during the Amarnath Yatra when there is heavy security.

"How was it opened on April 20 without anyone knowing? Is this a joke? How did 500-1,000 people manage to reach there unnoticed? If terrorists were aware it had opened on the 20th, how did our government not know? They only gave evasive answers to this."

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who had earlier on Thursday questioned the decision to invite only parties with five or more MPs, also attended the meeting after receiving an invitation from Shah.

"Why wasn’t the CRPF deployed in the meadow? Why were CRPF units withdrawn in January?" Owaisi told reporters, referring to the questions he raised during the meeting.

“Why did the quick reaction team take one hour to reach there–and they shot people by asking their religion. In 2000, 30 people were killed in Pahalgam. I asked what happened to the report following that incident?”

Following the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the prime minister's presence was crucial but notably absent, a point also raised by at least four opposition members during the discussions.