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In the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has said that giving this deadly incident a religious angle was “harmful” to the nation.
He added, “Some are trying to give this a religious angle, which is harmful to the nation. We must not go down that path.”
He praised the efforts made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in handling the situation after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people and left many injured, saying that both union ministers were working with “great prudence”.
Speaking at an event in Pune Rural as reported by ANI , Pawar apprised of the government’s acknowledgement of “falling short” during the all-party meeting held on April 24, but stated that this was not the time to discuss shortcomings. He added that the priority was to build an environment of trust.
“The discussion in the meeting acknowledged that there are questions to address, but one thing was clear: leaders like the Defence Minister and Home Minister are acting with great prudence. They admitted, ‘Somewhere, we fell short.’ However, this is not the time to discuss those shortcomings. The priority is to create an atmosphere of trust in the lives of those who were attacked. That is the most important thing right now,” Pawar said.
He further said that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam was an “attack on India”, and it requires setting aside political differences to stand united.
“The country is going through a difficult phase. Over the past two days, we have been reading about the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Terrorists carried out an attack, claiming the lives of innocent people. What happened was a shock to the nation. This was not an attack on any caste or religion; it was an attack on India. When there is an attack on Indians, it becomes our responsibility to set aside political differences and stand united,” Pawar, former Union Agriculture and Minister, added.
Speaking about his connections in Kashmir, the NCP-SCP chief said that people in the valley oppose terrorism and were advocating for unity.
