The Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, was one of the most horrifying instances of hate-fuelled violence India has witnessed since Pulwama. Twenty-six innocent civilians, all but one Hindus, were executed in cold blood by terrorists who demanded they recite the Kalma and identified them via circumcision. Testimonies from survivors such as Asavari Jagdale and Sujatha Bhushan have painted a blood-soaked account of religious profiling and ideological hate, executed with surgical brutality by Pakistan-backed radicals.

Yet, astonishingly, certain Opposition leaders have made a public display of gaslighting this tragedy. In a now-viral snippet from Kapil Sibal’s YouTube channel ‘Dil Se with Kapil Sibal’, four Indian lawmakers, Kapil Sibal, Sagarika Ghose, Gaurav Gogoi, and Sanjay Raut, can be seen and heard denying the religious nature of the attack, claiming it was “politicised” by the Modi government to milk the situation. They attempt to present the systematic killing of Hindus as a “random act of violence.”

Survivors of Pahalgam broke down as they recalled how the terrorists confirmed they were Hindus before killing them out of pure religious hatred.

And here we have Sanjay Raut, Sagarika Ghose, and Gaurav Gogoi claiming it was a lie peddled by the BJP.

They would even worship… pic.twitter.com/0xbvQzRhve

— Political Kida (@PoliticalKida) August 2, 2025

This deliberate whitewashing isn’t just factually indefensible, it’s strategically dangerous.

The facts they obfuscate: Pakistani terrorists confirmed and eliminated

On July 28, 2025, Operation Mahadev brought closure to this attack. Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed in Parliament that the three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists responsible—Suleman alias Faizal Jatt, Hamza Afghani, and Zibran, all Pakistani nationals, were gunned down by Indian forces in Dachigam after a two-month-long intelligence-led manhunt involving the IB, CRPF, Army, and J&K police.

Forensic reports confirmed the weapons used in the attack matched those recovered from the encounter site. Pakistani voter ID cards, Pakistani-made chocolates, and eyewitness testimony established the attackers’ nationality and motives beyond any reasonable doubt.

This makes the Opposition’s stance not just irresponsible but outright reprehensible. When the enemy is caught, identified, and neutralised, and still your narrative is to give them a pass despite the fact that Islamic jihad has long been a scourge emanating from Pakistan, you are not doing politics; you are enabling the enemy’s psychological warfare by providing them with cover fire.

Dangerous narratives: Pakistan’s ‘False Flag’ crutch and domestic deniers

Pakistan has long leaned on the tired lie of “false flag operations” to escape accountability for the terrorism it exports. But such denials used to be limited to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Today, they’re being echoed in New Delhi television studios and YouTube podcasts.

By downplaying the religious and cross-border nature of the Pahalgam attack, Indian opposition leaders have handed Pakistan a rhetorical shield. Their desperate bid to deflect from Prime Minister Modi’s handling of national security has led them to whitewash terror and sow confusion at home.

Instead of demanding justice for the victims, they demand evidence that contradicts the findings of ballistic experts, 3,000 hours of NIA interviews, and ground intelligence. In doing so, they insult the martyrs, dishonour the security forces, and embolden future attackers who now know that parts of India’s political class will provide ideological cover.

From selective outrage to strategic betrayal

The Pahalgam attack was not merely a human tragedy; it was an act of jihadist extremism targeting Hindus. Survivors weren’t just witnesses to murder; they were living testimonies to a genocide in miniature.

To hear elected lawmakers dismiss these accounts and attribute blame to the Indian government is deeply disturbing. What began as opposition to Modi has mutated into a dangerous distortion of the national interest. And sadly, this mutation has not even spared the dead, as opposition leaders deny them the dignity and distort their cold-blooded murders for scoring political brownie points.

It is clear: The Opposition’s compulsive contrarianism is giving ideological oxygen to Pakistan-sponsored jihad.

Truth goes for a toss as the opposition turns desperate

There is room for political disagreement. There is no room for terror denial.

This attack was religiously motivated. The attackers were Pakistanis. They were neutralised after methodical intelligence operations, and their identities and motives have been forensically verified. To claim otherwise is not dissent; it is disinformation.

By playing down Islamist terror and painting every national tragedy as an opportunity to target the BJP, some Indian opposition leaders have crossed a red line. They have chosen vote-bank appeasement over national unity, and in doing so, have handed terrorists in Pakistan the one thing they crave more than ammunition: legitimacy in denial.

The fact that this snippet of Rajya Sabha leaders went viral on the day senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was caught lying when he claimed late Arun Jaitley threatened him over farm laws demonstrates the depths India’s opposition could go in their bid to dislodge the Modi government from the Centre. It is perhaps an understanding among the opposing ranks that respecting truth is no longer their priority. 

Therefore, India must choose truth over lies. Reality over delusion. Justice over appeasement. And memory contrived narratives.