Former governor of Kashmir drops bombshells on Modi

PM is a shameless person and a coward, says Satya Pal Malik

IN a rare and blistering critique of India’s leadership, former governor of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik has directly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring intelligence warnings ahead of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, and has called on him to apologise to the nation.

Malik, who served as governor during some of the most volatile years in Occupied Kashmir’s history, made the statements during an explosive interview with senior journalist Karan Thapar aired today.

He alleged that the government had received prior intelligence inputs suggesting a possible terrorist strike in the Pahalgam area but failed to take preventive action. “Modi is a shameless person and a coward,” said Malik, adding that he did not expect the government to do anything in retaliation for the attack.

His comments, delivered in unflinching terms, have further deepened scrutiny over the Centre’s handling of security matters in the Kashmir Valley.

The Pahalgam assault, which occurred last month and led to the deaths of over two dozen tourists, has already become a political flashpoint. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge earlier today claimed that Modi had cancelled a planned Kashmir visit three days before the attack, citing an intelligence alert — an assertion that lends credence to Malik’s allegations. Kharge also noted that the government admitted during an all-party meeting that the incident stemmed from a failure of intelligence.

Drawing comparisons with the 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 paramilitary personnel, Malik said he had been instructed by the prime minister himself to keep silent about lapses at the time. That directive, he suggested, was motivated by political considerations. “They don’t want the truth to come out,” he said.

Malik also criticised Modi for not acknowledging or praising the spontaneous and emotional response of the Kashmiri people following the Pahalgam attack. “In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he made no mention of it. That is arrogance,” said Malik. He implied that Modi’s silence stemmed from a political strategy that relies on deepening the communal divide. “He benefits from maintaining Hindu-Muslim tensions,” he said.

The former governor offered an equally scathing assessment of the so-called security review meetings chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah, describing them as superficial gatherings more focused on socialising than on strategic planning. “It’s not a review. It’s just lunch and gup-shup,” he quipped.

Malik did not limit his criticism to just the top leadership. He also took aim at the increasing trend of house demolitions in Occupied Kashmir, carried out without due process against individuals merely suspected of links to terrorism. He revealed that as many as 2,000 people had been arrested solely on suspicion — many of them simply for being Kashmiri and Muslim.

He also spoke about the wider mistreatment of Kashmiris outside the region and the hateful rhetoric being peddled by groups like the Hindu Sena. In a particularly pointed remark, he accused the Indian media of failing to report accurately on the response of ordinary Kashmiris to acts of terror and security crackdowns. “The media has let down the country,” he declared, lamenting what he described as a deliberate obfuscation of the public mood in Kashmir.

This is not the first time Malik has courted controversy. A political veteran who has also served as governor in several other Indian states including Bihar, Goa, Meghalaya and Odisha, Malik has been increasingly vocal since demitting office, particularly about what he sees as the central government’s mishandling of Occupied Kashmir.

While the Prime Minister's Office has yet to respond to Malik’s latest comments, the political fallout is likely to grow in the coming days. With elections looming and Kashmir once again thrust into the national conversation, Malik’s searing interview could prove to be both a moral indictment and a political challenge to the BJP-led government.