India mourns death as Prime Minister promises strong response
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Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi on Friday unleashed the country’s military against rival Pakistan in response to a terror attack by Muslim separatists that killed 44 on Thursday.
“I know there is deep anger, your blood boils looking at what has happened. At this moment, there are expectations and the feelings of a strong response which is quite natural,” Modi said in a speech mourning the police forces killed and those injured.
India regularly accuses Pakistan of training and arming militants and smuggling them across the border into the Indian region of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region on the countries’ shared border.
Following the terror attack, where an explosive-laden truck plowed into a bus carrying police forces, India said it had “incontrovertible evidence” of Pakistan’s involvement in the attack. Pakistani-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed the attack, but Pakistan quickly denied any official involvement.
“Our neighboring country thinks such terror attacks can weaken us, but their plans will not materialize,” said Modi of Pakistan.
“Security forces have been given permission to take decisions about the timing, place and nature of their response,” Modi continued.
On Thursday, a suicide bomber rammed a car laden with explosives into a CRPF truck, part of a convoy of 78 vehicles, in the Avantipora area of Pulwama district. Initial reports said 44 men were feared to have been killed. On Thursday, the CRPF confirmed 40 deaths, making it the deadliest attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s three-decade-long insurgency.
“The aim of terrorism is to divide the country, no one can divide this country and the entire Opposition stands united with the security forces and the government,” Gandhi said at a press conference in Delhi.
“This is a time of mourning and sadness. We are fully supporting the Government of India and the forces. There is going to be no other discussion by the Congress party over the next couple of days.”
Home minister Rajnath Singh flew to Srinagar to take stock of the security situation in J&K,and national security adviser Ajit Doval met security forces and agencies to discuss the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
