‘Penalise Pakistan…’: Congress Working Committee urges govt over Pahalgam attack, says country awaits justice

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) met on Friday at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi. On the agenda of the CWC meet was the Pahalgam terror attack and the Centre's decision to conduct a caste census.

During the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the central government for not having a "clear strategy" after the Pahalgam attack, news agency PTI reported.

On April 22, terrorists attacked the popular tourist destination of Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 tourists and injuring several others.

Sharing a few pictures from the CWC meet, along with his opening statement on X, Kharge said that the entire opposition will work together to address any challenges that threaten the country's unity, integrity, and prosperity.

“After the Pahalgam terrorist attack, an urgent meeting of the CWC was held on 24 April. In that, we passed a resolution and said that we will give all possible support to the government in the fight against terrorism and in teaching a lesson to the terrorists. But even after several days of this incident, no clear strategy has come from the government,” he wrote in his post.

What the CWC resolution said on Pahalgam

"The entire country awaits accountability, answers and justice. In the face of such an unforgivable provocation, the Congress believes this is not a time for politics but a moment that calls for unity, strength, and national resolve.

"We must rise above partisan divides and send out an unambiguous message that India stands together, and will not be broken,” the CWC resolution said.

According to the PTI report, the resolution also said, “The masterminds and perpetrators of this cowardly attack must face full consequences for their actions. The Congress urges the Government of India to act with firmness, strategic clarity and international coordination to isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror into our territory.”

The Congress also called for sustained moral and institutional support to the families of the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

“Compensation alone is not enough. Long-term rehabilitation, mental health support, and honouring the memory of those lost through national recognition and civic remembrance are equally essential,” the party said.

The CWC reaffirmed its earlier demand for “time-bound accountability” into the “serious lapses” in security and intelligence in one of the most heavily-guarded regions of the country, the report said.

The people of India deserve transparency and accountability, the party asserted.

CWC resolution on caste census

While asking the government to announce a “clear timeline” for every stage of the caste survey, the CWC said that the Modi government has finally conceded after “continued opposition and stubborn refusal”.

According to the report, the CWC resolution said, “After 11 years of continued opposition and stubborn refusal, the Modi government has finally conceded to the demand of the Congress to collect population data caste wise as part of the next census. For 11 years, the prime minister attacked the Congress leadership for raising this demand.”

No details, however, have been provided of what the government intends to do and no financial allocations have been made, it said.

The resolution reportedly recalled that the Congress president had written to the prime minister on April 16, 2023, demanding an up-to-date and comprehensive caste survey.

CWC statement on 50 per cent cap on reservation

He has also been demanding removal of the arbitrary 50 per cent ceiling on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), according to the resolution.

According to the PTI report, the resolution also noted that Rahul Gandhi was the “strongest and most consistent” voice demanding a nationwide caste survey.

The party said he had raised the urgent need to gather data on caste so that government policies could truly reflect the lived realities of the marginalised during the 2022 Nav Sankalp Shivir in Udaipur.

"This demand was reiterated at the Congress plenary in Raipur in 2023, and was a central feature of both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha manifestoes of the Congress. In Parliament, in speeches across the country, and during the two Bharat Jodo Yatras, and most recently at a press conference, Rahul Gandhi has asserted that caste census was essential for deepening social justice," the party said.