New Delhi: Former Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday, September 29, revealed that the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government decided not to launch military action against Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks amid international pressure, especially from the United States. Chidambaram said that “retribution crossed my mind", but the government decided not to carry out any military action against the neighbouring country.
The former union minister made these remarks during an interview with ABP. Notably, Chidambaram took charge as the Union Home Minister days after the attack. He said that the entire world told New Delhi not to "start a war."
After Chidamabaram's revelation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed it, “too little, too late".
Talking about the reaction of the international community after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, which claimed the lives of around 160 people, Chidamabaram said that the then US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told the UPA government at the centre, "not to react".
“Condoleeza Rice, who was then US Secretary of State, flew in two or three days after I took over, to meet me and the Prime Minister. And to say, 'please don't react'. I said this is a decision that the government will take. Without disclosing any official secret, it did cross my mind that we should do some act of retribution,” Chidamabaram told ABP.
The senior Congress leader said that he discussed a possible retaliation with the them Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other concerned people.
“The Prime Minister had discussed this even when the attack was going on... And the conclusion was, largely influenced by the Ministry of External Affairs and the IFS, that we should not physically react to the situation,” he stated during the interview.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai by sea. They carried out attacks on several places in the maximum city, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj train station, the Cama Hospital, Oberoi Trident, and the Taj hotel in Colaba. Only one terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive. He was hanged to death in 2012.
BJP’s Reaction:
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the situation was “mishandled” due to pressure from foreign powers.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla questioned whether Sonia Gandhi or Singh blocked Chidamabaram’s proposal. "Why was UPA taking orders from her? Why did Sonia Gandhi prevail over the Home Minister?" Poonawalla wrote.
He also accused the Congress of giving a "clean chit" to Pakistan.
For the unversed, the Opposition had slammed the ruling BJP-led government at the Centre after US President Donald Trump claimed that he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following India destroying 11 Pakistan airbases as part of Operation Sindoor in May this year.
