Congress questions Modi government’s ‘silence’ on recent Poonch attack in J&K

New Delhi: Questioning the “silence” of the Modi government on the Poonch attack, the Congress on Thursday accused the Center of endangering national security by citing several recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Notably, five army personnel were killed and another seriously injured on April 20 when their vehicle caught fire after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch.

Addressing a press conference, Congress media department chief Pawan Khera said that seven days have passed, but the Prime Minister Narendra Modi “did not utter a single word” of condolence over the Poonch terror attack but were seen making a crude joke about a “girl’s suicide” at a media event on Thursday. “PM Modi has not responded by condemning the terror attack, even as reports indicate links to the Taliban,” Khera said, adding that several media reports indicate that the highly penetrative and ricocheting ‘steel core’ bullets used by terrorists were left behind by US troops in Afghanistan after they left the country in August 2021.

The Congress leader further claimed that the bullets were received from the Taliban by terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

“Chinese-made ‘steel core’ bullets capable of penetrating armor shields were used by NATO forces during the war in Afghanistan. The war and these bullets are part of the ammunition that NATO forces have left after leaving Afghanistan,” Khera said.

“In this context, it is important to note that, defying India’s previous foreign policy stance, the Modi government has started engaging with the Taliban. In the 2023 budget, the Modi government announced an aid of Rs 200 crore for Afghanistan,” he said.