Pahalgam terror attack due to 'intelligence failure': Former Army Chief Shankar Roychowdhury
Kolkata (PTI): Former Army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury (Retd) on Friday said the Pahalgam terror attack was due to "intelligence failure" and demanded accountability at the highest levels.
Speaking to PTI, Roychowdhury, the country's 18th Army chief, said, "I suspect intelligence failure. Somebody must answer for the lapses. There is definitely someone responsible for negligence and they must be held accountable for the consequences."
He also said Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) have a role behind the Pahalgam attack, where 26 civilians, mostly tourists were shot dead by terrorists in front of their family members.
"There must be complacency somewhere. How did so many infiltrators manage to get through? This needs to be investigated," he added.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Asked whether the Indian government's diplomatic sanctions on Pakistan were an adequate response, Roychowdhury said, "The diplomatic steps taken are not enough. Resistance measures will have to be taken. What shape they take depends on us. Conventional measures would not be enough."
"We will have to react in kind, that is the only way I see it. We must retaliate by maintaining international diplomacy. Enough is enough," Roychowdhury said.
On the possibility of an insider assisting the attackers, he said, "I am not suggesting that directly, but we must keep our eyes and ears open. Pakistan and the ISI have always played an active role. We have our own intelligence agency, RAW, and we must utilise it effectively."
On whether Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir's statement on Kashmir acted as a catalyst for the terrorists, Roychowdhury said, "I think that is the only thing that works in Pakistan. Definitely, that worked as an impetus for terror outfits. I must say attacking civilians must not be done."
General Munir in a recent address had described Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein".
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LIVE | Election Results of five states 2026
New Delhi: The countdown has begun for the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states that have captured the attention of people across the country.
The counting of votes for the Assembly constituencies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry will begin simultaneously at 8 am, and the fate of candidates in a total of 824 constituencies will be decided shortly.
The counting of postal ballots will take place first, followed by the counting of EVM votes in several rounds.
► AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami is leading in Tamil Nadu’s Edappadi constituency
► In Puducherry, BJP is leading in 3 seats.
► In Assam, BJP is leading in 56 seats, while Congress is leading in 12 seats.
► Suvendhu Adhikari leads in both Bhabanipur and Nandigram
► West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee faces setback in Bhabanipur constituency
► Bhupen Borah, who recently left Congress and joined the BJP, is leading in Assam’s Bihpuria constituency
► Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading in Jalukabari constituency
► BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading in West Bengal’s Nandigram constituencyFive-state elections: Postal vote counting begins
► TMC, BJP lead in one seat each in West Bengal
► In Tamil Nadu, DMK leads in 3 constituencies, while TVK leads in 1
► UDF leads in 5 seats in Kerala, BJP in 1, LDF in 1
► BJP leads in 2 seats, AIUDF in 1 in Assam
► AINRC leads in 1 constituency in Puducherry
► TMC leads in 5 seats in West Bengal; Mamata Banerjee’s party maintains initial lead
► Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin leads in Kolathur
► BJP takes early lead in Assam
► Congress-led UDF leads in Kerala
► Tamil Nadu, TVK chief Vijay leads in the Perambur constituency, lags in Tiruchirappalli South
► BJP leads in 10 seats in Assam
► LDF candidate V.P.P. Mustafa leads in the Thrikkaripur Assembly constituency
► Out of 294 seats in West Bengal, BJP is leading in 14 seats, TMC in 12 seats, Congress in 2 seats
► Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, DMK is leading in 15 seats, AIADMK is leading in 5 seats, TVK is leading in 2 seats
► Out of 126 seats in Assam, BJP is leading in 31 seats, Congress in 4 seats, AIUDF in 2 seats.
► Out of 30 seats in Puducherry, NRC+ is leading in 3 seats, Congress in 2 seats, TVK in 1 seat.
► Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury suffers a setback in theBerhampore constituency in West Bengal.
