The foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale of the Ministry of External Affairs has summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood at MEA to register India’s protest against the Pulwama Terrorist attack. Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed the responsibility of the attacks in which over 40 soldiers lost their lives.
#WATCH Delhi: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood(on the left) leaves from MEA. He had been summoned by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. #PulwamaAttackpic.twitter.com/0on0k0bPNX
Earlier today, taking stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the grisly attack on the CRPF personnel, a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to take diplomatic action to isolate Pakistan on an international level. Briefing the media after attending the CCS meet, senior Cabinet minister Arun Jaitley announced that the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan stands withdrawn.
Claiming that he understands the rage brewing in the country, PM Modi today promised vengeance against the plotters of the ghastly attack. He reassured that the country’s Armed Forces have been given free rein to exact revenge from Pakistan. PM further warned that the perpetrators committed a huge mistake to attack the Indian armed forces, for which they will have to pay a huge price.
PM Modi continued his fierce attack on Pakistan in his rally in Jhansi. He excoriated Pakistan for nurturing Terrorist groups on its land. Modi said that Pakistan which is going through a severe economic crisis and it roams around the world with a begging bowl will get a befitting reply not just from India but from the entire world who have called out their complicity in the terror attacks.
As the country is reeling in the throes of a ghastly terrorist attack in Pulwama and mourning the death of 44 soldiers, the CRPF, which the martyred security personnel were part of, has pledged that it will not forget the martyrdom of its personnel and the horrendous attack on its convoy will be avenged.
WE WILL NOT FORGET, WE WILL NOT FORGIVE:We salute our martyrs of Pulwama attack and stand with the families of our martyr brothers. This heinous attack will be avenged. pic.twitter.com/jRqKCcW7u8
More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Kashmir Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 70 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir around 3.15 pm on Thursday.
The attack has been reportedly carried out by a suicide bomber, identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, belonging to Pakistani Army backed Islamic terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad. He rammed an SUV laden with over 3000 kg of explosives into the CRPF bus carrying about 40 personnel. The collision exploded the bus and the vehicle, causing the deaths of the CRPF soldiers.
Displaying exemplary commitment towards the motherland, Ratan Thakur’s father has said that he has sacrificed a son in Mother India’s service. He has also pledged that he will send his other son to fight as well.
CRPF Personnel Ratan Thakur’s (who lost his life in #PulwamaTerrorAttack ) father in Bhagalpur: I have sacrificed a son in Mother India’s service, I will send my other son as well to fight, ready to give him up for Mother India, but Pakistan must be given a befitting reply.#Biharpic.twitter.com/rI6cM38Agh
He said he is ready to give up his second son for Mother India as well, but “Pakistan must be given a befitting reply,” he said.
Ratan Thakur was one of the 44 CRPF jawan, who lost his life for the service of the nation when a fidyeen terrorist rammed an SUV laden with over 300 kg of explosives into the CRPF bus carrying about 40 personnel. Pakistani Army backed Islamic terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad has taken responsibility for the attack.
The attack stirred the national sentiments and received widespread-condemnation over the dastardly act. Amid the chaos, the father of one of the martyred soldier Ratan Thakur’s has issued a brave statement. Thakur’s father, who hails from Bihar, said that he has sacrificed his son for the greater good of the Motherland. But, he added, he will not shy away from sending his another son to the duty. In exchange, he has asked for revenge from the terrorist state of Pakistan, who openly harbours the terrorist organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed.
A statement of Ministry of External Affairs has also incriminated Pakistan for aiding terrorist attack and added that the JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar had been “given the freedom to target India.” Masood Azhar is the same terrorist who had to be released by India during the IC814 plane hijack of the year 1999. He has since been found involved in various terrorist conspiracies worldwide, including the 2008 Mumbai attack.
The country also witnessed mourning at the houses of the other soldiers.
A family in Punjab’s Gurdaspur lost CRPF soldier Maninder Singh in the attack.
Early today, PM Modi acknowledged the pain and anger of Indians after the attack. He has assured that that martyrdom of its soldiers will not go in vain. He said that the armed forces of the country have been given a free hand, to exact revenge for the dastardly attack.
“I want to tell the terrorist organisations and their patrons, they have a committed a huge mistake. And for that, they will pay a huge price. I want to assure the country, the forces who are behind the attack, the people who are responsible for it, they will definitely be punished for their crimes.” PM Modi said.
India has also withdrawn the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ tag accorded to Pakistan.
Despite facing disapproval from parents, Junaid Khan, a man from Indore has married Jaya Singh Parmar, a transgender at a temple in the city on Valentines’ day, reports ANI.
According to the reports, the two tied the knot in a Hindu ceremony in a temple on February 14 and also plan a “nikaah“, which is a wedding ceremony as per Muslim traditions.
The couple fell in love last year and Junaid had proposed Jaya 15 days ago. The couple chose Valentine’s Day – a day that celebrates love worldwide – as the day to get married. The couple’s wished that their marriage is accepted by Junaid’s family.
Speaking to the media, Junaid Khan said, “I want my family to accept us but even if they don’t, I will stay with her. I love her a lot and I will always keep her happy.”
Jaya Singh Parmar said that getting married is a big challenge for a transgender person in India as the society finds it odd. “His parents were against this marriage but he still chose to marry me. I hope they will accept me soon and one day I will get to serve my in-laws,” she said.
The reactions to the terrible Pulwama terrorist attack flew in thick and fast as the death toll breached 40. While most people offered their condolences and expressed their support towards our armed forces, a significant section on social media resorted to making cheap comments for partisan politics.
Contributor to several liberal media outlets and a TEDx speaker and Fellow, Sanjukta Basu, went to the extent of suggesting that the terrorist attack was a conspiracy hatched by Prime Minister Modi.
Could this be a conspiracy? The man can do anything.
The insinuations made in the tweet are horrible. Basu wants people to believe that the Indian armed forces murdered their own soldiers at the behest of Narendra Modi. And the tweet appears to be posted long after Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack. The ‘Modi Derangement Syndrome’ that liberals suffer from is inspiring them to make reckless and deplorable remarks that amount to monumental disrespect towards our armed forces at a time when their morale is very low.
That is not all. Hours after Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu almost gave a clean chit to Pakistan on harbouring and nourishing terrorists, another Congress spokesperson tried to float a theory whether the Pulwama terror attack was a Modi conspiracy.
I got this msg 2days back from a person in jammu
Msg was sent at 2.43am saying urgent something bad is going to happen.
He even asked me to convey this msg to higher authorities.
But before i could understand this incident occurred.
Now i am confused b/w coincidence or conspiracy pic.twitter.com/0XLBfzz5Ku
Then there are ‘reputed intellectuals’ in liberal circles, who spread hatred in India society sitting from abroad, who attempted to politicize the martyrdom of our soldiers along caste lines.
CRPF jawans killed today in #KashmirTerrorAttack – All of them are from poor families and almost all of them are low caste, Dalit, tribal or Muslim. They are the ones who get killed in wars, not the ones who scream for war in TV studios. pic.twitter.com/y4PzRdqbzd
Pakistani media has earlier used Ashok Swain’s tweets to undermine Prime Minister Modi. Incidentally, Swain had insinuated that Narendra Modi will force India into a border confrontation with Pakistan ahead of the elections. The Pakistani media had then lapped up those tweets and asserted that Pakistan wanted peace while the Indian government wants conflict.
Then there were others who rued the fact that there wasn’t a single Brahmin among those martyred.
Indeed, there appears to be a concerted attempt to sow seeds of division within the country at a time when the entire country is in a state of shock and utter dismay and standing as a rock behind the family of our martyrs.
The United States of America has advised its citizens to ‘reconsider’ their travel plans to Pakistan due to “terrorism” and the associated risks to civil aviation operating within or near the country.
The Department of State issued a level 3 travel advisory for Pakistan on Wednesday, asking citizens to not travel to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces due to “terrorism” and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir due to “terrorism and the potential for armed conflict”.
Level 3 means ‘reconsider travel’, which is one level below the highest level 4, which means ‘do not travel’. The advisory was issued before the Pulwama terror attack yesterday, due to the possibility of increased terror activities and armed conflicts in Pakistan and Pakistan controlled territories.
The Advisory on US Embassy in Pakistan website
The advisory read, “Terrorist attacks continue to happen across Pakistan, with most occurring in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the former Federally, Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)”, furthering that the US Consulate General in Peshawar will be unable to provide any consular services to US citizens.
The advisory further warned of the threat of the ongoing “armed conflict between India and Pakistan” in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. “Indian and Pakistani military forces periodically exchange fire across the Line of Control,” it said.
Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Pakistan, it said, that transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship and government facilities may be attacked anytime, with little or no warning.
Soon after this ghastly Pulwama attack was executed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the White House, strongly condemning the act, asked Pakistan to immediately end “support” and “safe haven” to all terror groups.
The United States calls on Pakistan to end immediately the support and safe haven provided to all terrorist groups operating on its soil, whose only goal is to sow chaos, violence, and terror in the region,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a late night statement on Thursday.
“This attack only strengthens our resolve to bolster counter-terrorism cooperation and coordination between the United States and India,” she said in a strongly-worded statement issued by the White House.
The US-Pakistan relationship right now is at a low point and it is unlikely to improve soon.
In the years of the Obama administration, the US found that Pakistan was providing a safe haven to the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, and as a result, withheld aid.
The current situation is, in a way, just a continuation of the Obama administration’s policy with much stronger rhetorics.
In December 2018, the US ambassador to UN, Nikki Haley, reiterated the stand of Trump administration over Pakistan and said that it does not deserve even a dollar from the US unless it stops harbouring and sponsoring terrorism.
President Trump had at the beginning of the year took to Twitter, saying that Pakistan had engaged in lies and deceit over a fifteen year period during which the US has “foolishly” provided Pakistan with $33 billion in aid.
Recently, friction between two nations had led the Pentagon to severe monetary help of $1.66 billion in security assistance to Pakistan. This decision came after the US President Donald Trump had launched a scathing attack on Pakistan for deliberately not acting against the Islamic terrorist forces operating on its soil by citing the presence of 9/11 mastermind al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden who was hiding in Abbottabad, allegedly under the protection of its military.
In July 2018, the US had cautioned the IMF against a possible fresh bailout for Pakistan’s new government to pay off Chinese lenders who have invested in the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This was just before the swearing in of Imran Khan as the new Pakistan PM in August 2018.
Similarly, in December last year, the US Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, had shown concern over USD 8 billion dollar loan that Pakistan has demanded from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sherman called Pakistan’s demand as a convenient way to repay the Chinese loan they have taken. He had then confirmed that the US aid to Pakistan which has been cut by the Trump administration is unlikely to be restored soon.
The IMF is the world’s preeminent multilateral institution for promoting stability in global financial markets. With a $ 155 billion commitment to the IMF, the United State has an outsized role in the IMF’s decisions as it holds veto authority for major policy decisions.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who often expresses his love towards the terrorist state of Pakistan has once again issued a shocking clean chit to Pakistan by claiming that ‘Terrorism has no country’ and indicated that Pakistan has no role in the Pulwama terrorist attack.
While condemning the heinous terrorist attack on the CRPF soldiers, Navjot Singh Sidhu said that terrorism has no country, giving a clean chit to Pakistan despite Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group backed by the Pakistani establishment has taken the responsibility for the attack on CRPF soldiers at Pulwama.
“This is a cowardly attack, people responsible for these attacks should be brought to justice. But, taking someone’s life is not a solution. Terrorism has no religion. Terrorism has no caste, party and Terrorism has no country,” said Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu who often eulogises Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan aka ‘Taliban’ Khan.
These horrific statements by Congress leader Sidhu come at a time when the entire nation is angered by the repeated cowardly act by the deep state operating from the terrorist state of Pakistan, which is backed by its army. Even though the Congress party has condemned the terrorist attack on the CRPF soldiers, such statements by senior Congress leaders exposes the dubious nature of Congress party in recognising Pakistan-sponsored terror on our soil.
It can be noted that Pakistan based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed has already claimed responsibility for the horrific attack, and its founder leader Masood Azhar roams freely in Pakistan. He regularly addresses massive rallies in Pakistan, which can’t happen without tactical support of the state, as the JeM is supposed to officially banned in the country.
This is not the first time that Sidhu has expressed his love for the terrorist state of Pakistan. In the past, Navjot Singh Sidhu had caused a severe controversy after he posed with dreaded Khalistani terrorist Gopal Singh Chawla during his controversial visit to Pakistan to inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the horrific terrorist attack sponsored by the terrorist state of Pakistan has reached 44, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. A terrorist belonging to Pakistani Army backed Islamic terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, rammed an SUV laden with over 3000 kg of explosives into a CRPF bus carrying about 40 personnel, which was part of a large convoy. The collision exploded the bus and the vehicle, causing the deaths of more than 40 CRPF soldiers.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, after chairing a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting with his top ministers, said Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for the terror attack in Pulwama. “The forces behind this act of terrorism & those responsible for it will definitely be punished,” he said.
The government has also announced that it will withdraw the most favoured nation tag given to Pakistan, and it will work towards issolating the country at the global level.
The outbreak of Swine flu in Rajasthan has consumed six more lives on Thursday.
Six people, two each in Jodhpur and Barmer and one each in Nagaur and Bharatpur, died on Thursday.
With this, the total number of people succumbing to the H1N1 virus in Rajasthan this year (from January 1 to February 14) mounts to 125.
This year, 30 deaths have been reported from Jodhpur itself. Followed by 12 in Barmer, and nine each in Udaipur and Bikaner.
A spokesperson from the Health Department confirmed that as many as 3,285 people have been tested positive of the H1N1 virus during this period in Rajasthan.
Though the situation is most concerning in Rajasthan, the epidemic has been on the rise in various other states.
Swine flu has so far claimed over 300 lives and affected around 9,500 other people across India until Thursday. Rajasthan registered the highest number of cases and deaths, followed by Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Telangana.
National capital Delhi has seen 6 deaths and 1409 cases reported while Punjab has registered 30 deaths and 301 cases, Madhya Pradesh has seen 16 deaths and 81 cases. Maharashtra has reported 13 deaths and 197 cases of Swine Flu.
The state government has issued a high alert in the state. Leaves of doctors and paramedical staff in the state stand cancelled. The state government is claiming to have made the required arrangements for procuring swine flu medicines.
Swine flu is an infection caused by one of the several swine influenza viruses (SIV), with the H1N1 strain being the most common across the country. The illness is originally known to affect pigs. It is known to have spread to humans who came in direct contact with pigs. The virus is transmitted from person to person through the same medium as other flu viruses.
The symptoms of Swine flu include a cough, sore throat, and body ache among others. The symptoms are often similar to that of seasonal flu or viral fever and hence should not be ignored. The virus can prove to be fatal in case of diabetics, children and elderly people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised vengeance today, speaking in the aftermath of the horrible terrorist attack against the CRPF forces in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, where over 40 of our brave soldiers lost their lives.
Narendra Modi stated that full freedom has been given to our armed forces to exact revenge from Pakistan.
#WATCH PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to CRPF soldiers who lost their lives in #PulwamaTerrorAttack, says, “logon ka khoon khaul raha hai, yeh main samajh raha hun. Humare suraksha balon ko purn swatantra de di gayi hai.” pic.twitter.com/kxdCIKe88q
He stated, “I can understand the rage building within the country following the attack. Blood is boiling, I can very well understand that. At this moment, the expectations of the country, the burning desire to act, is very natural as well. Our armed forces have been given total freedom. We have complete faith in the Shaurya and the courage of our soldiers.”
Prime Minister Modi stated further, “I want to tell the terrorist organisations and their patrons, they have a committed a huge mistake. And for that, they will pay a huge price. I want to assure the country, the forces who are behind the attack, the people who are responsible for it, they will definitely be punished for their crimes.”
A grateful nation bows to the martyrs of Pulwama.
A befitting reply will be given to the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their patrons.
Earlier, Union Minister Arun Jaitley announced that India has withdrawn the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ tag to Pakistan. He, too, had stated that the perpetrators of the attack will be made to pay for their actions. “As far as the security forces are concerned, they will be taking all possible steps to ensure that full security is maintained and that those who have committed and actively supported this heinous act are made to pay a heavy price,” Jaitley said.
When it comes to terrorism, the Punjab situation was worse than that of Kashmir. Attacks on security forces and civilians were almost a daily affair. India tackled Punjab issue with Iron fist.
Led by KPS Gill, it took a few years to wipe out terrorism from the face of Punjab. Indeed, methods adopted didn’t please human rights activists and few countries but if you look at the long term peace that followed, it was the right thing to do.
Similar methods were adopted by Russians in Chechnya, Sri Lanka against LTTE and Israel against Hamas. Needless to say, they achieved long term peace.
However, when it comes to Kashmir, we become soft. We are too much concerned about activists and sanctions and letting the situation drag for years instead of looking for a definite solution. Operation Sadhavana was launched in 1998 aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the people in the region.
20 years down the line, have we won any hearts and/ or minds? Kashmiris have become even more radical with more and more terrorists coming from the valley instead of across the border. We have been losing our jawans on an everyday basis. Stone pelters obstructing operations, attacking forces and their vehicles happens almost all the time. I am sure we are not heading for any solution with this approach.
So, what could have been done? Biggest mistake India did was to not act at the time of Kashmiri Pandits exodus. To claim land as ours, a state needs to have a population there who identifies themselves with us. Kashmiri Pandits were such people. But they were killed, raped and driven out from a part of their own country and we did very little to stop it.
India needed a strong political will backed by decisive military action but we failed as a state to protect the lives of our own people on land claimed and occupied by us. Appeasement, politics and soft approach cost us. Let’s face the truth; a substantial number in the valley refuses to identify themselves as Indians. Kashmir is now a problem much bigger than what it was in the late 80s.
What should we do now? Why are we letting the blood of our soldiers flow on Kashmiri streets when we have been able to win neither hearts nor minds despite 20 years of the soft approach called Operation Sadbhavana? If soft is the only approach we have, it’s better that we let go Kashmir instead of wasting our lives and resources over thankless people who reside there. If letting go Kashmir isn’t an option, which I am sure 99% of Indians will say, aggression is the only way for a definite solution.
Do what we did in Punjab. Kashmir is our land, our problem; we shouldn’t look for validation from the world for our methods. Yes, there will be criticism, sanctions and human rights cases but India is mighty enough to face it. Indians will stand together to face them. Let there be no mercy on terror and anyone who supports it directly or indirectly. Let there be fear. Lord Rama didn’t say “bhay bin preet na hoi” for no reason.
