Punjab deserves facts, not political theatrics: LoP Bajwa on twin blasts

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has blamed the BJP for the blasts while the Director General of Police DGP has attributed them to Pakistans Inter Services Intelligence ISI, the senior Congress leader pointed out, asserting that Punjab deserved facts, transparency and accountability rather than political theatrics and narrative-building exercises.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday said it was alarming that contradictory statements are emerging from the government about the recent twin blasts in the state. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has blamed the BJP for the blasts while the Director General of Police (DGP) has attributed them to Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the senior Congress leader pointed out, asserting that Punjab deserved facts, transparency and accountability rather than ''political theatrics'' and narrative-building exercises. Mann on Wednesday held the BJP responsible for the two blasts in Jalandhar and Amritsar, stating this was how the saffron party was preparing for the upcoming assembly elections. Two back-to-back explosions near security establishments rocked Punjab on Tuesday night, triggering panic among the public and drawing condemnation from opposition parties that targeted the Mann government over the law and order situation in the state. The first explosion occurred around 8 pm outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar, while the second blast happened at around 11 pm near the Army camp in Amritsar's Khasa. On Wednesday, DGP Gaurav Yadav said that no group has claimed responsibility for the Amritsar explosion, but it appears that Pakistan's ISI might be behind the incident. ''We assume that, as May 7 marks the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, this is part of the designs of Pakistan's ISI to cause disruptions in Punjab. Punjab is fighting a proxy war against Pakistan on behalf of the nation,'' the DGP had said. Bajwa on Thursday raised concerns over the ''contradictory'' statements emerging from the Punjab government. Matters concerning national security and public safety could not be handled through contradictory political statements and sensationalism, he said. The Congress leader challenged Chief Minister Mann to immediately order registration of FIRs and initiate legal proceedings if he genuinely believed that BJP leaders were involved in the blasts. ''If the chief minister cannot substantiate such allegations with evidence, the BJP should seriously consider initiating legal action against him for spreading fear, panic and confusion among people,'' he added. Bajwa asked the Aam Aadmi Party government and the BJP to stop politicising sensitive security matters and ensure a fair, transparent and professional investigation into all blast incidents in the state.