Defence Minister bids farewel to those soldiers killed in Pulwama attack.

Entire nation speaks in one voice: all-party meet on Pulwama; fitting reply: Modi

India says Pak links with Pulwama attack clear; Pak foreign rejects allegations

Agency Report | Yavatmal (Maharashtra)/New Delhi/Islamabad | 16 February, 2019 | 07:10 PM

Putting up a strong bipartisan front, political parties in the opposition and the government said India was determined to fight terrorism in a resolution adopted at the end of an all-party meeting Saturday morning to discuss the Pulwama terror attack that left 40 security personnel dead. Underscoring their solidarity with security forces for defending the country's unity and integrity, the parties, including the BJP and the Congress, passed a resolution condemning the terror attack and support being given to it from across the border. The resolution did not name Pakistan but asserted that India has been facing the menace of the cross-border terrorism which of late, it added, is being actively encouraged by forces from the neighbouring country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday here said terror groups who perpetrated the Pulwama attack that left 49 CRPF troopers dead, cannot hide and “will be punished” as the security forces have been given a “free hand” to tackle the inevitable.

Paying tributes to two Central Reserve Police Force troopers from Maharashtra and others killed in the deadly attack on Thursday, Modi said the country has “faith and pride” in our soldiers and security forces and their sacrifices will not go in vain.

“Wherever the terror groups and the perpetrators may hide, our security forces will flush them out and punish them,” Modi said amidst cheers from the gathering of farmers and women here.

When and how to accomplish this has been left to the security forces, but he appealed to the people of the country to be “patient” and repose confidence in the armed forces, “as the terror perpetrators shall not be spared at any cost”, he added.

In the worst-ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber on Thursday rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Pulwama district, killing at least 40 troopers on the spot, the toll reached 49 on Friday as several injured succumbed.

The attack has left the security establishment stunned as it created the biggest casualty of security personnel in a single day in peacetime.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the government has “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and the security forces have been given a free hand to deal with terror groups.

“Rajnath Singh, in the all-party meeting, said that due to the terror attack on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, the entire country was deeply hurt and there is outrage,” Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said while speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting in Parliament here.

“Rajnath Singh assured that the moral of the security forces are high and we are committed to curb terror in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the government has given free hand to the security forces to deal with the terror groups and those who are giving shelter to them,” Tomar said.

“He also said that the government has a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and this terror attack shows their frustration.”

The all-party meeting of the leaders of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha was called by Rajnath Singh.

The Minister said that, in the meeting, all the leaders discussed and assured that “all Opposition parties are standing with the government”.

Rajnath Singh said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who want love and peace, are standing with us in the fight against terrorism.

“But there are a few people in the state who help the terror groups from across the border and they are the enemy of the youth in the state. They don’t want peace and tranquillity there,” Tomar said quoting the Home Minister.

“The country is fighting against terrorism and we will take the fight to its logical end. The sacrifice of our troopers would not go in vain and we are committed to curbing terrorism,” he said.

Rajnath Singh assured that the government will help the families of the troopers who were killed and has also asked the state governments to take care of their families.

“The Home Minister assured that unitedly we will succeed in curbing terrorism in the state and bring back peace,” Tomar said.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also said that a resolution was passed in the meeting.
Opposition parties demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for consultations on the Pulwama terror attack.

“We asked Home Minister to request the Prime Minister to hold a consultation meeting with the presidents of all national and regional parties and hold discussions with them,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters after the meeting.

Azad said Congress has extended its full support to the government to end terror. “We have disagreements with the government and there will be; but we have decided to stand with the government for the sake of the country, for its safety and unity, for the safety of people and security forces,” he said.

“We are with the Army, the BSF, the CRPF, the J&K Police to end the terror.”

He said it was for the first time such a large number of security personnel had died in a non-war situation since 1947.

“The nation is sad, angry. People and politicians irrespective of their religion, region, caste are mourning,” Azad said. “Be it Kashmir or any part of the country, Congress will extend full cooperation to the government to deal with the militancy.”

Other parties also supported the demand in the meeting, he added.

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said such a meeting should be convened to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the efforts the government was likely to take to maintain peace and normalcy in the state.

“All parties expressed condemnation of the attack and reiterated that they were firmly behind the security forces at this challenging moment,” Raja said after the all-party meeting.

The political parties also advised against any instigations against the Muslim community, he added.

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, Trinamool Congress’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien, Republican Party of India chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Congress’s Anand Sharma, Telugu Desam Party’s Ram Mohan Naidu were among the leaders present at the meeting.
India has rejected Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua’s claims denying her country’s links to the Pulwama terror attack, saying that JeM, which claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday, is based in Pakistan, and the “links are clear and evident and for all to see”.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson termed as “preposterous” the demand for an investigation, saying there is a video of the suicide bomber declaring himself a member of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The spokesperson said India has not seen any constructive approach from Pakistan on bilateral relations and it has been sheltering terrorists and terror organisations such as JeM. He said Islamabad has not taken any action against such groups despite international demands.

India also demanded that Pakistan take immediate and verifiable action against terrorists and terror groups operating from territories under its control to create a conducive atmosphere in the region free of terror.

The spokesperson’s response came over Pakistan Foreign Secretary’s briefing rejecting Pakistan’s involvement in the terror attack on a paramilitary convoy in Jammu and Kashmir that killed at least 45 troopers. Janjua met envoys of P-5 countries late on Friday.

The spokesperson said JeM has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The organisation and its leadership are located in Pakistan. LeT and other terror groups have welcomed the news of the attack. These groups are also based in Pakistan. Pakistan cannot claim that it is unaware of their presence and their activities.

“They have not taken any action against these groups despite international demands, especially against groups and individuals proscribed by the UN and other countries. The links to Pakistan are clear and evident for all to see. Its own Ministers have shared the same podium with UN proscribed terrorists,” the spokesperson said.

He said there was audio-visual material linking JeM to the terror attack.

“The demand for an investigation is preposterous when there is a video of the suicide bomber declaring himself a member of the JeM. There are also other audio-visual and print material linking JeM to the terrorist attack. We have therefore no doubt that the claim is firmly established,” the spokesperson said.

He said while there are claims to offer dialogue from Pakistan, it continues to shelter terror outfits.

“We have not seen any constructive approach from Pakistan on relations with India. What we have noticed, however, are claims to offer dialogue on the one hand, while sponsoring and sheltering terrorists and terrorist organisations such as JeM on the other,” the spokesperson added.
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has met the envoys of P-5 nations and rejected India’s allegations of Islamabad’s involvement in the terror attack on a paramilitary convoy in Jammu and Kashmir.

“FS today briefed P5 Ambassadors at MoFA. Rejected Indian allegations on Pulwama attack,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal tweeted on Friday night.

P-5 refers to US, Russia, China, France and the UK — which are permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In the meeting with P-5 envoys, Janjua has “noted a familiar Indian pattern of immediate and reflexive assignment of blame on Pakistan without investigations”.

The meeting came hours after India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Friday met at least two dozen envoys in Delhi, including those from the P-5 nations.

The Pakistan Foreign Secretary said in the meeting that her country has pursued a constructive approach towards India, and Pakistan’s offer of dialogue and “the Kartarpur initiative are clear evidence of this”.

Citing Janjua, Faisal wrote on Twitter that “ratcheting up tensions in the region will be counterproductive”. (IANS)