Pakistan Admits To Pulwama Attack In Assembly
NEW DELHI : Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhury on Thursday, publically admitted to the Imran Khan government’s involvement in the 2019 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, in the Pakistan National Assembly.
“Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (We hit India in their home). Our success in Pulwama, is a success of this nation under the leadership of Imran Khan. You and us are all part of that success,” Science & Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in the National Assembly during a debate.
Chaudhury – who is Federal Minister for Science and Technology – claimed that the ‘Pulwama attack was the biggest achievement’ of the Imran Khan government. Retaliating to PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq’s claims on ‘Abhinandan’s return’, Chaudhury termed the terror attack as a feat where Pakistan ‘hit India in its area’ (Ghuske maara Bharat ko).
“Sadiq saab, you were given respect and involved in some high-level issues and you are talking about it in the assembly. You are lying so easily that Qureshi’s legs were shivering. We have hit India in its own territory.
The success in Pulwama, it is the success of this community under Imran Khan government. You and I are all a proud part of it. The way we attacked India after Pulwama in their own territory,” said Chaudhury, while members thumped their hands on their desks.
India had responded to the February 14 suicide attack on a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Pulwama with air strikes on a terrorist camp in Pakistan’s Balakot. Pakistan retaliated by sending fighter jets to target Indian military installations.
The strike was blocked by the Indian Air Force(IAF) but an Indian plane went down across the Line of Control and its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistani forces. He was released two days later.
Earlier on Wednesday, PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq claimed that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was sweating and shivering ‘begging to return Abhinandan back to India’, otherwise ‘India was to attack at 9 PM’, while addressing the Pakistan National Assembly.
According to the opposition leader, Mr Qureshi told a visibly flustered General Bajwa unless he released Wing Commander Varthaman, India would attack Pakistan “that night by 9 pm.”
“I remember Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in the meeting in which (Prime Minister) Imran Khan had refused to attend and Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa came into the room, his legs were shaking and he was perspiring.
‘For God’s sake, let him (Abhinandan) go, because India is about to attack Pakistan at 9 PM’,” said Sadiq. He added, “There was no attack from India, but they wanted to bend on their knees to India and send Abhinandan back”.
Foreign Minister said for God’s sake let Abhinandan go, India’s about to attack Pakistan at 9 pm,” Mr Sadiq had said. Sadiq claimed that Khan’s government was desperate to ‘bend its knees to India’, giving the example of the ordinance passed to allow Kulbhushan Jadhav’s appeal in Islamabad high court against his conviction. This comment comes amid 11 opposition parties’ protests in a bid to oust the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government.
(With Agency Inputs).
