What prevents Mamata from blaming 'Islamic terrorists'

On April 22, a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, claimed the lives of 26 tourists, all Hindu males, marking one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

On April 22, a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, claimed the lives of 26 tourists, all Hindu males, marking one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. An offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of the Hindu tourists. Condemnation of the targeted killings of Hindus resonated across the country and the world.

From the US President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance who, in fact, was in India, to Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, leaders from countries across the world expressed support for India and directly blamed Islamist terrorists.

Tulsi Gabbard said: "We stand in solidarity with India in the wake of the horrific Islamist terrorist attack, targeting and killing 26 Hindus in Pahalgam. My prayers and deepest sympathies are with those who lost a loved one, pm @narendramodi, and with all the people of India. We are with you and support" you as you hunt down those responsible for this heinous attack.”

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains the only political leader who has refused to call out Islamic terrorists for the massacre, leading to accusations from the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party which cited this as “another example of her Muslim appeasement policy with an eye on the 2026 Assembly pols”.

She avoided statements calling the perpetrators as “Islamic terrorists,” instead used terms like “terrorists” and “anti-national forces,” asserting that “terrorism has no religion” Banerjee insisted: “The terrorists do not have any class or religion, and should be shown no mercy.”