India on Thursday strongly condemned the terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. Thirty seven personnel were killed after a militant drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus. The Jaish-e-Mohammed militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.
This was one of the worst terror strikes in the state since the attack on the Uri military base in September 2016, in which 18 Army jawans had died and dozens were injured.
The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, demanded that Pakistan stop allowing terror groups to operate from its territory. It also urged the United Nations to list Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a designated terrorist.
“The government of India condemns in the strongest possible terms the cowardly terrorist attack on our brave security forces in Pulwama,” the ministry said, adding that the “heinous and despicable act” was perpetrated by Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammed. Azhar has been “given full freedom by Government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity”, the ministry said.
India is committed and resolved to take all measures to safeguard national security and fight terrorism, the statement said. “We demand that Pakistan stop supporting terrorists and terror groups operating from their territory and dismantle the infrastructure operated by terrorist outfits to launch attacks in other countries,” it said.
The ministry added: “We strongly reiterate our appeal to all members of the international community to support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM Chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.”
Leaders and representatives of several nations, including the United States, France, Russia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Thailand, France, Germany, Canada and Australia condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with India.
Here are a few of the reactions:
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