Citing NSA's 2010-interview, Congress says Doval gave 'clean-chit' to Azhar
The Congress today cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode (1999) and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist. The attack by Congress came a day after BJP slammed Rahul Gandhi for calling JeM chief "Masood Azhar Ji". Here's more.
BJP twisting Gandhi's comments that he made sarcastically: Congress
After the BJP latched on to Gandhi for calling the terrorist "Masood Azhar Ji", the opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Gandhi's comments that he made sarcastically. In a series of tweets against BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in the release of terrorist Masood Azhar."
'Will Modi, Ravi Shankar admit to the anti-national act now?'
Surjewala also attached screenshots of Doval's 2010 interview
Why did BJP government not show the same guts: Surjewala
Gandhi had made the comment in a meeting in Delhi
Addressing a meeting of Congress workers in the national capital, Gandhi had attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56 inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar." He asserted that Azhar was responsible for the Pulwama terror attack.
Azhar was released in exchange for hijacked IC-814 flight's hostages
Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from an Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan. After his release from the jail, Azhar went on to form the Pakistan-based terror group JeM.
JeM attacks in India include 2001 Parliament, 2016 Pathankot incidents
Since then, the group has been involved in numerous terrorist attacks in India. The group was responsible for the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001, in which nine security personnel and officials were killed. Again on January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group of JeM attacked the Pathankot air base in Punjab, in which seven security personnel were killed.
JeM's latest attack in Pulwama killed 40 CRPF soldiers
JeM also carried out the attack on Uri brigade headquarters on September 18, 2016, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 30 others. And the latest one is the Pulwama attack, which happened on February 14 in Kashmir. 40 CRPF personnel were killed in that attack.
