New Delhi – Amid national concern following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Congress MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi drew controversy on Friday with remarks questioning the Indian Army’s 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), prompting a sharp political backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a press conference after the Congress Working Committee meeting in the capital, Channi criticised the government’s response to the Pahalgam incident, and in doing so, raised doubts about the visibility and impact of the surgical strikes carried out in Pakistan-administered Kashmir following the Uri attack.
“Nothing happened, nobody knew anything about it,” Channi said. “If a bomb falls in our country, no one will even notice. They say, ‘We carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan.’ Nothing happened—no one saw any surgical strike, and nobody knew anything about it. We demand that the government do something. Tell the nation who is involved and punish them.”
The remarks triggered immediate responses from BJP leaders, who accused the Congress MP of casting aspersions on the armed forces and undermining national security. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey called Channi’s comments a denial of India’s military achievements, posting a critical verse in Hindi on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini called the comments “unfortunate,” stating, “He is speaking the language of another country. Can’t he see such a big attack? He could not even see the Uri attack?”
In response to the controversy, Channi clarified that he was not seeking proof of the surgical strikes but cautioned against using the Pahalgam attack to shift focus to unrelated issues. “There is nothing about surgical [strikes] today. Its proof is not asked for, and I am not asking for it either. What I am saying is don’t try to divert this [Pahalgam terrorist attack]. This is a very sensitive issue,” he said. “The innocent tourists who were killed after being asked about their religion – the country and those families want justice today. The government should provide them justice. We are with the Government in every way.”
At a BJP press briefing, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said Channi’s remarks amounted to an insult to the armed forces and accused the Congress of emboldening adversaries. “Congress is supplying oxygen to Pakistan and terrorist forces,” he alleged, dubbing the opposition party the “Pakistan Working Committee.”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also condemned the remarks, saying, “Congress is hurting the morale of the Indian Army at a time when the country is united to respond strongly to the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. Congress has become the Pakistan Parast Party.”
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina went further, labelling Channi’s statements as “treachery” and alleging the Congress was questioning the honour and bravery of the armed forces. “Congress is a gang of traitors… The nation will never forgive the Congress party for this,” he stated.
The 2016 surgical strikes remain a politically and emotionally charged episode in India’s security narrative. Conducted in response to a deadly militant attack on an army base in Uri, the operation involved cross-border raids on terror launch pads and was widely hailed by the government as a show of military resolve.
As political tempers rise in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, the debate over national security, accountability, and political rhetoric continues to dominate the discourse ahead of potential strategic responses.
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