Pakistan condemns Gurdaspur terrorist attack

ISLAMABAD: Hours after a terrorist attack in the Indian Punjab’s Dinanagar town in the frontier district of Gurdaspur, Pakistan Monday condemned in the “strongest terms” the terrorist act that saw 10 people, including a superintendent and four police officers, losing their lives.
Indian media reports claimed that about four of the five militants were taken out while the fifth was seriously injured.“Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We extend heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the government and the people of India and wish the wounded speedy and full recovery”, said a Foreign Office statement.
In an unusually sympathetic response, the Foreign Office also noted that a number of precious lives had been lost.“There are reports of others having suffered injuries. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families”, the statement added.
On Saturday, Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had a long conversation with Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit when she invited guests to “celebrate the spirit of peace and harmony after the holy month of Ramazan at an Eid Milan party”.
There was no official statement about the brief meeting, though photographs of the two made it on the social media.On Monday, the government did well not to respond to the running commentary from New Delhi including statements from politicians which pointed the finger at Pakistan even as the heavily armed terrorists donning army uniforms were in the midst of the attack lasting 12 hours and there was no patience for the attack to be over and an investigation take place. Jitandra Singh, a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, alleged Pakistan’s involvement.
“There have been earlier reports of Pakistan infiltration and cross-border mischief in this area,” said Singh, whose constituency in the Jammu region borders Gurdaspur.The attack comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is raking up old memories of ill-planned and ill-executed 1999 Kargil operation by General (R) Pervez Musharraf.
While New Delhi, as the dust settles down, will be investigating the attack, at least DG Punjab police Sumedh Singh Saini kept his cool and did not point the finger at Pakistan saying: “It’s too early to say who the attackers were.”It was a bad day for India, as its former president and a brilliant scientist Abdul Kalam passed away in the evening.