New Delhi: Condemning the “dastardly” Pulwama attack in Kashmir, the all-party meeting chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh Saturday passed a resolution saying the “entire nation speaks in one voice” to fight the challenges of cross-border terrorism.
“We condemn terrorism in all forms and the support being given to it from across the border,” the resolution passed at the end of the all-party meeting said.
The resolution said that India has faced the menace of cross-border terrorism during the past three decades.
“Of late, terrorism in India is being actively encouraged by the forces across the border… Today we stand united in solidarity with our security forces in fighting terrorism and defending the unity and integrity of India,” it said.
Singh briefed the leaders of the opposition parties about the security situation in Kashmir.
Sources said that Singh told the all-party meeting that security forces will be given a free hand to deal with terrorism.
It was also decided to call all the regional parties of Jammu & Kashmir for a meeting and discuss the situation and the way forward.
Also read: Pulwama attack raises questions on Kashmir’s intelligence and security structure
‘Nation is angry’
Briefing the media after the meeting, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “We had requested the home minister to request the Prime Minister on our behalf to ask presidents of all national & regional parties for a meeting. This was supported by other parties too.”
“The entire nation is in mourning today, is angry.”
Azad said that barring war, such large number of security personnel have been killed in an attack for the first time since 1947.
“We stand with our security forces — Army, CRPF, local police. The entire nation is standing with them,” said Azad.
The meeting was attended by Azad, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia of Congress, Derek O’Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool Congress, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar of Nationalist Congress Party, Farooq Abdullah of National Conference, A. Navaneethakrishnan of AIADMK, D. Raja of CPI, among others.
Raut, however, said passing resolutions won’t be enough and the government needs to take action.
“Resolutions were passed after Pathankot and Uri attack also. We have told them (Centre) that they should now take action,” Raut told reporters after the all-party meeting.
Shiv Sena is one of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s allies in the National Democratic Alliance.
O’Brien and Bandyopadhyay released a statement saying the all-party parliamentary is only the “first step”.
“We urge the government to convene a meeting with Presidents/Leaders of all major political parties at the earliest,” reads the statement.
The government decided to call an all-party meeting to discuss the situation in Pulwama district of south Kashmir after the terror attack Thursday that killed at least 40 CRPF personnel when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden SUV into the CRPF convoy near Srinagar.
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Also read: Action, outcome & Modi: What BJP believes will determine impact of Pulwama on LS polls
‘Will be punished’
Condemning the attack on security forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said the sacrifices of CRPF martyrs won’t go in vain.
Speaking at a public rally in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, he said, “Terror organisations who have committed this crime, no matter how much they try to hide, they will be punished. Security forces have been given full freedom.”
In a show of solidarity, all the opposition parties have also rallied behind the government in the aftermath of the terror attack.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a press conference Friday said the entire opposition is with the security forces and the government.
“Terrorism tries to divide the nation, we can’t be divided by any power,” Gandhi said.
In 2016 as well, soon after the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to destroy terror launch pads close on the heels of the Uri attack, the government had called an all-party meeting to brief the leaders.