26/11 attackers were killed but Pahalgam terrorists at large while govt preparing dossier: Cong

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said India got the support of countries following the 26/11 attack as the perpetrators were killed and one was arrested but after the Pahalgam attack, the government is sending diplomatic delegations abroad and preparing a dossier while the terrorists remain at large.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the BJP for its criticism of Rahul Gandhi and said it should instead channel its energies to target Pakistan and China.

"The BJP must answer who gave a clean chit to Mohammad Ali Jinnah and praised him? Jaswant Singh and L K Advani had lauded him and called him a great leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken out the Lahore bus yatra and it was none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had gone to Lahore to break bread with Nawaz Sharif," Ramesh told PTI here.

He also recalled that it was former prime minister Morarji Desai who got Pakistan's highest civilian honour 'Nishan-e-Pakistan'. The BJP must recall that Desai's cabinet had Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the external affairs minister, he added.

Hitting out at the government, Ramesh asked why the terrorists behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack had not been arrested even a month after the incident.

He pointed out that the terrorists who carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were killed and one was arrested, due to which India got the support of countries across the globe.

"Look at the current situation, we are preparing a dossier and sending diplomatic delegations abroad but the terrorists are at large. They must be arrested and interrogated, that is the real issue," he said.

Ramesh's remarks come amid a war of words between the Congress and the BJP over their leaders' statements on the India-Pakistan conflict. The BJP called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi "modern age Mir Jafar" and the opposition party hit back, describing External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as "new age Jaichand".

The two parties have traded barbs over their remarks on Operation Sindoor and also posted memes on social media, each suggesting that the other has betrayed the nation.

The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have attacked Jaishankar, alleging that he forewarned Pakistan about Operation Sindoor. It also asked how many planes India lost and how many terrorists escaped from their camps in Pakistan due to the minister's "warning".

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives.

India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.