Shashi Tharoor draws Israel parallel to Pahalgam attack: 'No foolproof intelligence, but...'

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called for a measured response in holding the government accountable for the Pahalgam attack. (File photo: PTI)

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called for a measured response to the Pahalgam response, advising restraint in rushing to assign the blame while admitting that there may have been certain security lapses that led to the massacre of 26 civilians by terrorists on April 22.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Tharoor drew parallels between the Pahalgam incident and the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

"Obviously, there was no foolproof intelligence. There was some failure. But we have the example of Israel — regarded as having the world’s best intelligence services — which was taken by surprise on October 7. It seems to me, just as Israel is waiting till the end of the war before demanding accountability, similarly, we too should see the present crisis through and then hold the government to account," Tharoor said in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | On the Pahalgam terror attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "Obviously, there was no full proof intelligence. There was some failure... But we have got the example of Israel, the world's best intelligence services according to everybody, pic.twitter.com/v0SMkULt6i

ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2025

Tharoor further said that while there have been failures, it should not be India's immediate focus right now.

"We will never know about the various terror threats that were successfully thwarted. We only hear about the ones where we failed. This is normal in any nation. There were failures, I agree, but that should not be our main focus right now," he said, adding that no nation can claim complete immunity against terror attacks.

Tharoor's comment varies slightly from the Congress party's stand on the Pahalgam terror attack. The party, while coming down heavily on the government for "serious intelligence and security failures', has extended its "unconditional support" to the government's efforts to bring the culprits behind the attack to justice.

Contrary to the party's stand, Tharoor, while admitting there may have been security lapses, has advised against rushing to assign blame.

The aftermath of the Pahalgam attack has seen India take several diplomatic measures like suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling Pakistan diplomats, shutting down the Attari-Wagah border and directing all Pakistanis to leave India within 48 hours.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), now leading the probe, has also ramped up its investigation with senior officials overseeing efforts that include examining eyewitness testimonies and forensic evidence, even as combing operations continue in the dense forests around Pahalgam.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have also intensified crackdowns on suspected terror sympathisers across the Valley, demolishing six houses linked to militant suspects over the past two days.

Meanwhile, 509 Pakistani nationals are reported to have exited India in the past 48 hours while 745 Indians have returned to India from Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border during the same period.