At least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary troopers were killed in the deadliest terror attack witnessed in three decades of Kashmir's insurgency. The surprise attack by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber left the nation in shock and anger while Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave security forces a freehand to strike back with equal force. On Thursday, Jaish bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, 20, rammed a SUV loaded with 350 kilograms of explosives into one of the buses -- carrying 35-40 troopers -- out of a 78-vehicle CRPF convoy. While 40 were killed in the attack, several injured personnel continue to battle for their lives.
- Background of Pulwama attack
- Time and exact place of Pulwama attack
- Details of Pulwama attack
- Political reaction to Pulwama attack
- International diplomatic reaction to Pulwama attack
- Actions taken by India in aftermath of Pulwama attack
Even as the nation continues to bewail the death of soldiers killed in Pulwama, many including the grief-stricken family members of the ill-fated jawans have demanded strong action against the Pakistan-based terror outfit.
The heinous incident has united all political parties across the country while leaders from all over the world have condemned the dastardly attack; the United States even went on to the extent of warning Pakistan to not harbour terrorism.
At present, the security forces in the Valley are on high alert and subsequent operations have been launched to detain more suspects in connection with the attack.
The situation in Kashmir has been tense since 2014 and there have been several deadly attacks on soldiers. In the last five years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a 93 per cent rise in death of security personnel. A chunk of these attacks have occurred in Pulwama region of J&K. Data released by the government showed that the Valley has been witnessing regular terror attacks in the past five years.
Data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs showed there has been a sharp rise in terror activities including attacks between 2014 and 2018. It suggested that there has been a 176 per cent jump in terror attacks in the Valley during the period. The state witnessed over 1,700 terrorist activities (28/month) during the last five years, showed government data.
The data presented in Lok Sabha also show that there has been a sharp spike in terror activities since 2016. Between 2014 and 2018, a total of 1,315 people were killed in the state due to acts of terrorism, it revealed.
While several regions in the Valley have been affected by home-grown militants, the Pulwama district has seen a high volume of terror encounters. However, Thursday's attack that left 40 CRPF paramilitary troopers dead is the deadliest terror attack in the Valley in the last three decades of Kashmir's insurgency.
Time and exact place of Pulwama attack
The Pulwama terror attack occurred on February 14, 2019 when a 78-vehicle convoy was escorting over 2,500 CRPF jawans from Jammu to Srinagar. At around 3:30 pm, a Mahindra Scorpio SUV, packed with 350 kilograms of explosives rammed into one of the buses belonging to the convoy on the National Highway 44 at Lethipora near Avantipora town.
The surprise attack instantly blew up the bus, killing at least 40 personnel of the 76th Battalion while others continue to battle for their lives; the injured were immediately moved to the army base hospital in Srinagar.
The Pulwama attack on Thursday (February 14) is the deadliest terror attack that has occurred in the Valley in the past three decades of militant activity in Kashmir.
The attack which killed at least 40 CRPF jawans was carried out by 20-year-old Adil Ahmed Dar, who was due to appear for his class 12 exams before he went missing, according to his parents.
While initial reports claimed that the attack was triggered by an IED explosion, it was later reported that Dar had rammed the explosive-laden SUV into one of the buses.
Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video of Dar, a resident of Kakapora who joined the group a year ago.
While Pakistan has denied any role in the attack, India has sent a stern warning to its neighbour while United States warned the nation to eradicate safe havens for terrorists. Many other countries have also condemned the dastardly incident that has left more than 40 families in anguish.
Political reaction of Pulwama attack
A huge political outcry was observed after the Pulwama terror attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only condemned the attack on CRPF personnel but also gave security forces full freedom to retaliate against the heinous attack that killed 40 paramilitary troopers.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who was visibly emotional at a press event yesterday, said the entire Opposition stands in solidarity with the security forces and government. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also condemned the attack and said such acts of terrorism cannot be tolerated.
A host of other ministers including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal condemned the cowardly terror strike on security forces as well.
Not just political parties but prominent personalities from the field of art, entertainment and sports condemned the attack and demanded redemption.
International diplomatic reaction of Pulwama attack
Over 45 countries including the US and China reacted to the dastardly attack on CRPF jawans. The United States not only condemned the attack but also attacked Pakistan for harbouring terrorists.
It warned the nation to deny safe haven to terrorists or any terror outfits. Russian President Vladamir Putin sent condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart President Ram Nath Kovind.
France also condemned the attack and extended support to combat terror networks and cut their funding to prevent such cross-border attacks. While China expressed condolences and condemned the act of terror, it still did not change its stance on Masood Azhaar, who is the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Support also poured in from Australia, European Union, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and a host of other countries.
Actions taken by India in the aftermath of Pulwama attack
Indian administrators and security forces have gone into an overdrive after the devious attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the terror outfit has committed a huge mistake, adding that the sacrifice of the slain soldiers will not go in vain.
Modi said the security forces have been given a freehand to retaliate against the attack at any time they deem suitable.
Soon after a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley declared that India is withdrawing "Most Favoured Nation" status to Pakistan.
The symbolic move will further cut trade ties between the two neighbouring nations. India has also launched a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack. According to reports, India held a briefing for envoys of 25 countries including P5 nations, including US, China, Russia, UK and France.
Before the briefing, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood to his office and issued a very strong demarche over the attack.
