In a recent interview, former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik claimed that there were lapses during the Pulwama attack in 2019 and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him not to speak about those lapses.
While the Union government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) elsewhere have maintained silence over the revelations of former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, the BJP on Tuesday chose Kashmir to respond to claims and allegations made by Malik.
BJP Kashmir spokesman Altaf Thakur said, “Malik has now aged and has lost his memory which happens at his age.”
The spokesman said the government carried out a rescue operation within seconds of the Pulwama attack. He also said the security forces convoys have always taken the Srinagar-Jammu route.
“He [Satya Pal Malik] has been giving controversial statements always. He has also entered into an age group where memory loss happens,” BJP’s Kashmir spokesman Altaf Thakur said while talking to media persons in Srinagar. “Had the former governor levelled these allegations when he was Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, one could have assumed there is some relevance in his statement. Now Satya Pal Malik has not even got security. He is not on any constitutional post, so he should not be taken seriously.”
Malik, who was Governor of J&K during the Pulwama terrorist attack of February 2019, in a recent interview claimed that there were security lapses led to the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Malik, who was also governor of Jammu and Kashmir when Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, also claimed that the government refused a request by the paramilitary force for an aircraft to commute, which led to the CRPF convoy to travel by Srinagar-Jammu highway.
In the interview with The Wire, Malik also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “ill-informed” about Jammu and Kashmir. Malik also claimed that Prime Minister told him not to speak about the Union home ministry’s lapses which led to the attack on soldiers in Pulwama in February 2019. Malik’s allegations have created a political storm with Congress and other parties seeking a response from the BJP and the government.
“BJP’s top priority has been armed forces whether the CRPF, the army, or the police,” Thakur said. The BJP spokesman claimed that after the Pulwama attack, the government took strong action against Pakistan and carried out a surgical strike. He said the surgical strike showed the willpower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP spokesman said that within seconds of the Pulwama attack, the rescue operation was carried out. He said the Srinagar-Jammu Highway route has been taken by security forces for “centuries”.
“Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir has visited Psychiatric Disease Hospital, Srinagar. He should admit himself to the hospital now,” Thakur added.