Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said the attack on CRPF jawans in Pulwama was a cowardly one, and terrorists and anti-India forces, no matter where they are, will continue to pay heavily for it.
“We have shot dead the key conspirator. But we will not keep quiet. The prime minister is constantly monitoring every movement in Kashmir. There is more action to come. The entire cabinet has full faith in our prime minister and are strongly behind him. He will not let the sacrifices of our jawans go in vain. Our government will continue to take action against Pakistan, till it puts an end to terror emanating from its soil," he told THE WEEK.
Ahir denied any Kashmiri being victimised after the incident. “No Kashmiri is being targeted,” he said.
After Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, a retired colonel, backed a call to boycott Kashmir and its people following the terror attack, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he did not agree with Roy.
Senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Dar told THE WEEK that the BJP-led government at the Centre is trying to end the Hindu-Muslim brotherhood in Kashmir. “The Union government and its agencies are behaving as if every Kashmiri is a militant or a wrongdoer, which is wrong. The attack in Pulwama has been condemned by every Kashmiri. We respect India. India needs to respect Kashmiris.”
He said the sudden withdrawal of security of 18 separatist and 155 political leaders in Kashmir was uncalled for. “These separatists like India. They keep visiting Indian cities. Rarely do they visit Pakistan. They have to be treated as one among us. Why target them? The Union government and the state administration are losing their plot,” said Dhar.
The Congress, on February 21, accused Modi of shooting a documentary in the Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand on the day the terror attack happened. “The terror attack happened at 3.10pm, but the Prime Minister was busy shooting for his promotional film till 6.40pm. Is there any PM in the world like this?” said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala.
This is completely absurd and false information, said BJP’s national general secretary H. Raja to THE WEEK, “People of the country are solidly behind the government on this issue. Only the Congress will play politics in this manner. When the World Trade Tower was attacked in the US, everyone, including the opposition there, stood behind the government there. The Congress and some other opposition parties that are raising a hue and cry should learn from the Americans,” he said.
