‘Bengal verdict carries national significance, reflects people’s desire for change & stability’

New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) India has strongly rebutted Pakistan’s 20-page dossier that accuses New Delhi of orchestrating a “false flag” operation in Pahalgam and launching “naked aggression” under Operation Sindoor.

Officials in New Delhi have dismissed the document as a desperate attempt to deflect global attention from Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism.

According to senior security and diplomatic officials, the Pakistani dossier is riddled with contradictions, denials, and an all-too-familiar narrative of victimhood.

“This is not the first time Pakistan has responded to terrorism evidence with diversionary tactics. Be it the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Pathankot, Pulwama or Uri — every time we have shared clinching evidence, Pakistan has chosen denial over accountability,” said a top security official.

India has made it clear that expecting Pakistan to probe the Pahalgam terror attack, in which civilians were executed point-blank in front of their families, is akin to “asking a thief to investigate his own crime,” as foreign secretary Vikram Misri bluntly stated.

The Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Yet, no action was taken by Islamabad.

Instead of cracking down on TRF or acting on intelligence leads provided by India, Pakistan doubled down on denial. “They demanded more evidence after a public claim of responsibility, which tells you everything,” a senior Indian diplomat said.

“Their dossier makes zero mention of any credible steps taken against TRF. Instead, they continue to peddle conspiracy theories and call for a joint probe, a proposal that India finds preposterous.”

Pakistan’s dossier also makes the claim that it showed “firm commitment to regional peace and stability” and repeatedly offered a third-party investigation into the Pahalgam incident. Indian officials have called this laughable.

“It’s an insult to the international community’s intelligence. Pakistan’s idea of peace is to host, finance, and protect those who commit mass murder across the border, and then ask for a joint probe,” said a defence source.

New Delhi has rejected all such offers as insincere and manipulative. “These are not peace overtures. These are public relations stunts designed to mask complicity and avoid accountability,” said another official.

Far from being “naked aggression,” Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor were a calibrated, intelligence-driven response to continued terror threats emanating from Pakistan and PoJK.

Contrary to Islamabad’s claims of civilian infrastructure being destroyed, India maintains that it specifically targeted terror infrastructure, and now even Pakistan’s own dossier has inadvertently confirmed that 28 terror-linked sites were hit, more than India initially disclosed.

“This is the irony,” said a defence analyst. “While accusing India of false flag operations, Pakistan’s dossier ends up revealing just how effective and widespread the Indian strikes were, they confirm hits in cities like Peshawar, Gujranwala, and Hyderabad (Sindh). This forced Pakistan into calling for an immediate ceasefire.”

India views the Pakistani document as yet another exercise in deflection and denial, rather than a serious diplomatic or legal case. “They shelter terror, deny proof, demand joint probes, and then accuse India of aggression when we act. This playbook is old, and the world is watching,” said a senior official.

In contrast, India’s message is clear: those who sponsor terrorism will be held accountable, if not through international mechanisms, then through decisive and proportionate action. Operation Sindoor was not just a military response; it was a strategic assertion that India would no longer tolerate terror sanctuaries across the border, dossier or not.

–IANS

brt/dan

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) Dismissing the credibility of exit polls, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday said the actual mandate of the people will only be clear on counting day.

“I don’t believe in exit polls. Let us wait for the real counting on the 4th. People have already decided. People have given a verdict. That has to be read out also, let us wait for another 48 hours, people’s mandate should not be manipulated…” he told IANS.

His remarks come amid a sharply divided exit poll landscape in Tamil Nadu, where different agencies have projected contrasting outcomes for the major political players.

The contest in the state is seen as a three-cornered fight involving the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in alliance with the BJP, and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Among the projections, the Axis My India survey has drawn attention by predicting a surprise debut victory for TVK with 98 to 120 seats. It places the DMK in the range of 92 to 110 seats, while the AIADMK is projected to secure between 22 and 32 seats, underlining the unusually fragmented nature of predictions this election.

Voting in Tamil Nadu was held on April 24, with the state recording a high voter turnout of 85.13 per cent. The DMK centred its campaign on its Dravidian Model of governance and welfare initiatives, while the AIADMK focussed on promises of corruption-free governance and an end to what it described as “one family rule”.

Meanwhile, in West Bengal, Assembly elections were conducted in two phases on April 24 and April 29, with counting for both Tamil Nadu and West Bengal scheduled for May 4.

Repolling is underway on Saturday in 15 polling stations across South 24 Parganas district, including 11 booths in Magrahat Paschim and four in Diamond Harbour Assembly constituencies.

Voting began at 7 A.M. and will continue till 6 P.M., with enhanced security arrangements in place. Voters in the Diamond Harbour area have expressed mixed reactions but have largely acknowledged improved arrangements and tighter security during the repoll process.

–IANS

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