Former minister of state of defence Jitendra Singh on Thursday claimed that Pulwama terror attack was a “major failure” of Indian intelligence agencies.
“The Pulwama attack is highly condemnable, but I can’t deny that there was an intelligence failure as I have worked in defence,” said the former Congress leader, who was the minister of state for defence in 2012 under the United Progressive Alliance government, in Alwar in Rajasthan.
On February 14, in Kashmir’s Pulwana district, a local having ‘association’ with militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad, crashed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus ferrying Central Police Reserve Force personnel. The collision, resulting in a massive explosion, killed more than 40 CRPF jawans and reduced the bus into a heap of molten metal.
Questioning the failure, the 47-year-old leader said prior to the movement of a huge convoy of the CRPF , the intelligence agencies start their work of gathering threat inputs. Moreover, the minister said, when the convoy moves, the roads are blocked for the civilians.
The former member of Parliament also raised his eyebrows on the availability of huge explosives with a local of Kashmir Valley despite massive presence of armed forces in every nook and cranny of Jammu and Kashmir.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts, an act which empowers the armed force to maintain law and order in disturbed state, has been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990s.
On retaliation, Singh said, “This is the right time to give befitting reply to Pakistan.”
Taking a jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister said that the nation was waiting for the PM to show the strength of his “56-inch chest” in attacking the western neighboring country and militant organisations functioning in its soil.
Asked to comment on a report that Modi continued shooting a video in Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand’s Nanital despite getting the news the Pulwama attack, “Modi can give a better explanation”, he said sarcastically. (UNI)
