REGIME MISLEADS ABOUT BAISARAN SECURITY FAILURE; SDPI DEMANDS APOLOGY AND PROBE

New Delhi, 26th April 2025: Mohammad Shafi, National Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of India  strongly condemns the Union government’s deliberate attempt to mislead the all-party meeting convened on April 24, 2025, to address the tragic terrorist attack in Baisaran meadow, Pahalgam, which claimed 26 innocent lives. The government’s credibility lies in tatters following revelations that it misrepresented critical facts about the security arrangements at this popular tourist destination.

During the all-party meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the government claimed that Baisaran was opened to tourists prematurely on April 20, 2025, without police authorization, attributing the security lapse to local authorities. However, a senior Jammu and Kashmir government official has since clarified that Baisaran has been open year-round, except during snowy months, without ever requiring police permission. This blatant contradiction exposes the Union government’s attempt to shift blame and obscure its own failures in ensuring the safety of citizens in a region under its direct security oversight since 2019.

The SDPI finds it unacceptable that the government, entrusted with protecting lives, would resort to falsehoods in a forum meant for transparent dialogue and collective action against terrorism. This misconduct not only undermines trust in the government but also raises serious questions about its competence in handling Jammu and Kashmir’s volatile security situation. The absence of security forces, surveillance, or rapid response mechanisms at a well-known tourist site like Baisaran is a glaring failure of intelligence and planning, for which the Union government must take full responsibility.

We demand an immediate apology from the government for misleading the all-party meeting and the public. Furthermore, we call for an independent judicial inquiry to investigate the security lapses that led to this tragedy and to ascertain the truth behind the government’s conflicting narratives. The people of India, particularly the families of the victims, deserve accountability and transparency, not political obfuscation.

Mohammad Shafi 

National Vice President

Social Democratic Party of India,