Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday dialled down his remarks on possible intelligence failure behind the Pahalgam terror attack and a potential war with Pakistan after his statements drew severe backlash and the media in the neighbouring country played them up.
Siddaramaiah had stirred controversy on Saturday by saying that the Pahalgam terror attack was a result of intelligence failure and there was no need for a war with
Pakistan.
“They (Indian government) should be more alert. This is an intelligence failure, a security failure. There is no need for war now. But strict measures must be taken. Security measures must be tightened. We are not for war,” he told reporters in Karnataka on Saturday.
Twenty-six people, including two from Karnataka, were killed in the terror attack.
On Sunday, the senior Congress leader appeared to backtrack in the face of criticism and said he meant there should be war only if it was inevitable and that it was not the solution.
“I never said there should be no war with Pakistan. If a war is inevitable, it will
happen. I just said that for now, there should be no war,” he said.
The Pakistani media has played up Siddaramaiah’s “no need for war” comment to underscore that dissenting voices were emerging within India.
“I have observed the debates and discussions, both for and against, surrounding the statement I made about a war. War should always be a nation’s last resort — never the first, nor the only option. Only when every other means to defeat the enemy has failed, should a country be compelled to go to war,” Siddaramaiah posted on X on Sunday.
“The horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, orchestrated by Pakistan-backed militants, has made it painfully clear — both to the people of our nation and to the central government — that there were grave lapses in our intelligence and security apparatus. It is now the government’s solemn responsibility to first correct these shortcomings and to ensure such tragedies are not repeated in the future,” he added.
Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra drew attention to how the Pakistani media was “all praise” for Siddaramaiah over his anti-war stance.
“Big cheers for Wazar-e-Ala @siddaramaiah from far across the Borders! Pakistani media is all too praise for @siddaramaiah & visibly disappointed at the backlash he is receiving from BJP & others, for his comments against war with Pakistan. Nehru was taken around in an open Jeep around the streets of Rawalpindi, as Pakistan was too happy with Nehru for signing the Indus Water Treaty that favoured Pakistan. Is Siddaramaiah going to be the next politician from India to be taken around in an open
Jeep in Pakistan?” Vijayendra posted on X.