India’s former Home Minister P. Chidambaram has openly questioned the Modi government’s claim that the April 22 Pahalgam attack was orchestrated from Pakistan, exposing what many see as a deliberate attempt by New Delhi to manufacture consent for war through misinformation and cover-ups.
In a searing interview with The Quint, Chidambaram lambasted the ruling BJP for withholding the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) report and for refusing to identify the attackers. “Why is the government not releasing the NIA findings? Have the attackers been identified at all? There’s no evidence they came from Pakistan. They may very well be local,” he said.
Chidambaram accused the Modi government of manipulating public opinion by exploiting a tragedy. “This looks like another false flag operation meant to shift blame, justify military escalation, and distract from internal failures,” he said, adding that India's Chief of Defence Staff had hinted at “tactical mistakes” made during the botched Operation Sindoor.
While Indian forces recently claimed to have killed “three foreign terrorists” near the Amarnath shrine in IIOJK, no identities or proof were provided—strengthening suspicions that India is staging fake encounters. Pakistani sources, including Radio Pakistan, say India’s so-called Operation Mahadev is a covert campaign designed to execute Pakistani detainees and label them as “terrorists” to justify its brutal occupation of Kashmir.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s military confirmed the illegal detention of over 700 Pakistanis in Indian jails, with dozens missing. Now, fears are growing that they are being used as scapegoats in staged killings.
India’s baseless blame for the Pahalgam attack led to a dangerous military standoff in May, one it lost decisively. With six Indian jets downed and major losses inflicted by Pakistan’s Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, India was forced into a ceasefire brokered by the United States.
Chidambaram’s remarks have laid bare the BJP’s propaganda machinery and exposed how fake narratives are used to wage war, silence dissent, and cover up India’s strategic failures in occupied Kashmir.