'No Country Can Have Foolproof 100% Intelligence': Shashi Tharoor's Remark Pahalgam Attack Irks Congress

Last Updated:April 27, 2025, 22:44 IST

Tharoor stated that no country can ever have “foolproof 100% intelligence,” and drew a comparison to Israel’s response to the October 7 attack by Hamas

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (Photo Credits: X)

Congress senior leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday acknowledged intelligence lapses in the Pahalgam terror attack but cautioned against demanding accountability from the government. Instead, he urged the country to focus on resolving the current crisis first.

Speaking to the news agency ANI, Tharoor stated that no country can ever have “foolproof 100% intelligence," and drew a comparison to Israel’s response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“We have got the example of Israel, the world’s best intelligence services according to everybody, which were taken by surprise on October 7, just two years ago," the Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP.

He further added: “Just as Israel is waiting till the end of the war before they demand accountability, similarly, I think we too should see the present crisis through and then demand accountability from the government."

Tharoor noted that the public often hears only about intelligence failures and not about the many attacks successfully thwarted behind the scenes.

“We only get to know about the ones that we failed to thwart. This is normal in any nation. There were failures, I agree, but that should not be our main focus right now," he added.

Tharoor’s comments come amid serious questions over security and intelligence failure following the 22 April terror attack in Baisaran, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam. In the attack, 26 people—mostly tourists—were gunned down by terrorists, marking one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in over two decades.

His remarks also come as opposition parties, including his own, the Congress, have blamed the terror attack on a “serious intelligence failure" and demanded accountability at the highest levels of government.

The attack has also sharply escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. New Delhi has accused Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism" and claimed that Pakistan-based militants were behind the killings. Pakistan has denied any involvement, labelling the accusations as “frivolous" and warning of a response to any Indian action.

(With inputs from agencies)

Kerala, India, India

News politics 'No Country Can Have Foolproof 100% Intelligence': Shashi Tharoor's Remark Pahalgam Attack Irks Congress