The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday channelled the people’s anger and anguish over the Pahalgam terrorist attack, demanding accountability from the Central Government. AAP’s National Media Incharge Anurag Dhanda voiced the unanswered questions troubling citizens, asking why, six days after the attack, the BJP government has yet to deliver a befitting response to Pakistan.
Calling for a Home Minister fully committed to the country’s security — not distracted by political machinations — Anurag Dhanda also questioned why tourist security was not fortified when intelligence inputs had already forced the Prime Minister to cancel his visit to Jammu and Kashmir days earlier. In the face of national tragedy, AAP asserted, India deserves leadership focused solely on protecting its people, not protecting its power.
During a press conference, Senior AAP leader and National Media Incharge Anurag Dhanda stated, “It has been six days since the Pahalgam terror attack, and the entire country is still waiting for a decisive action against those who mercilessly killed Indians and launched such a brutal terror strike against the nation.”
He emphasised that every citizen today is demanding that these terrorists be given a fitting reply and be completely destroyed. “There is widespread discussion everywhere that we must strike back hard and wipe them out. For six days, the nation has been waiting for this.”
Highlighting the anger in public discourse, Anurag Dhanda brought key questions to the fore, stating, “The first issue concerns the Attari route. The government had clearly stated that trade with Pakistan would be shut down — and rightly so. Pakistan, the way it supports terrorists, is behaving like an enemy nation, and there should be no relations with an enemy country, certainly no trade.”
“However, discussions are going around whether the government has also shut down trade with Pakistan through Gujarat and Maharashtra ports. The situation there is not clear. Our view is that trade with Pakistan must be completely shut. Pakistan should be broken economically as well,” he asserted, sharing AAP’s position.
Demanding accountability over the security breach, Anurag Dhanda pointed towards the deeper concerns. He said, “Terrorists came 250 kilometres inside the border, fired for a long time, and then escaped. People are rightly asking — how was this even possible? There must be a time-bound inquiry into this, and those responsible within the system must be identified. Their names must be made public.”
He added that it should not be a repeat of Pulwama, where even after six years, the country still does not know who was involved, how such a massive quantity of explosives reached the convoy, and how the terrorists managed to carry out the attack. He emphasised, “A time-bound inquiry must be conducted to answer how such a deep infiltration and attack happened and who is responsible. Strict action should be taken against them too.”
Warning about Pakistan’s new strategy to spread hatred within India, the senior AAP leader stated, “The Pahalgam attack has made it clear that Pakistan’s new strategy is to divide India along religious lines. For the first time, such a carefully planned attack was carried out to create religious animosity and hatred among citizens. There are many organisations and individuals within India who, through social media, are helping Pakistan’s agenda by spreading hate messages between Hindus and Muslims.”
He propounded that the government must take strong action against these individuals, whether they belong to any political party, hold any position, or are part of any organisation. “If anyone, by statements or posts, is furthering Pakistan’s agenda of creating communal hatred within India, the government must act firmly against them on social media and otherwise.”
Calling for urgent reforms, Anurag Dhanda demanded a full-time Home Minister for India, stating, “India is a vast country with enormous security challenges from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. We cannot afford to have a part-time Home Minister. India needs a full-time Home Minister who can think about the security of the people 24 hours a day, who can plan round the clock on how to make the country safer.”
“Therefore, we demand that the BJP government provide a full-time Home Minister, someone who has enough time not just to horse trade MLAs or form and topple governments, but someone who dedicates their full attention towards ensuring the safety of Indian citizens,” he asserted.
Pointing out a glaring lapse, the AAP National Media Incharge questioned the security withdrawal in the Pahalgam area. He said, “Before the Pahalgam incident, there was discussion that security forces had been withdrawn from that area a few days earlier. Whose orders were these? The name of the person who ordered the withdrawal must be made public. The nation has the right to know who endangered the lives of thousands of tourists by withdrawing security from such a sensitive area.”
Anurag Dhanda also raised questions around the cancellation of the Prime Minister’s Jammu and Kashmir visit, stating, “Just a few days before the attack, PM Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir was suddenly cancelled. Was there any intelligence input about a possible terror attack that led to the cancellation?”
He continued, “If so, then why were deployment and security arrangements not strengthened? Which officer in the Home Ministry, or Home Minister, who is responsible for this failure? What action does the government intend to take against them? The country needs clear answers.”
Anurag Dhanda concluded by saying, “Today, the entire nation is furious. The blood of every Indian is boiling. We want revenge against the enemy, and we want such revenge that completely annihilates the terrorists who dared to launch such an attack on our soil. The whole country stands united with the government on this issue, and the entire nation is looking towards the government.”
“When the whole country is of one mind — that Pakistan must be given a befitting reply and these terror groups must be completely destroyed — the nation is waiting to see when the government will take solid action and teach Pakistan a tough lesson through strong retaliation,” he asserted.
