Indian Kashmir rocked by attack
THOUSANDS of mourners across India attended funerals on Saturday for some of the 41 sold iers k i l led i n a su icide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir as a round-theclock cu r few rema i ned i n force i n pa r t of t he rest ive region.
The paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy transporting 2,500 soldiers in the disputed Himalayan region, the deadliest attack in a 30-year-old armed conflict.
TV stations showed coffins wrapped in Indian f lags being carried by thousands of people across their hometowns, after the bodies were f lown to New Delhi late on Friday for a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India has accused Pakistan of harbouring the militants behind the attack, which has sparked nationwide outrage and some public calls for war against the nuclear-armed arch-rival to avenge the killings.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947, with both the countries, which have fought three wars, claiming it in its entirety.
Two buses of t he Cent ra l Reser ve Police Force (CRPF) in the 78-vehicle convoy were targeted by the bomber on a key highway in the Pulwama district, just outside the main cit y of Srinagar.
The Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibilit y,
and the vehicle was driven by a known local militant.
The powerful blast reduced one of the buses to a heap of mangled debris. Pictures showed bodies and body parts strewn all over the highway.
“I feel proud of the martyrdom of my son. I expect the government of India to avenge the killings,” Brish Soreng, father of one of the soldiers, told reporters.
Modi on Saturday said those behind the attack would be held responsible.
India is garnering diplomatic support after the attack and has vowed to “isolate” Pakistan in the international community, saying it has “incontrovertible evidence” of Islamabad’s role. Pakistan has rejected the allegations.
Jaish-e-Mohammed is largely considered to be one of the most active Pa k ista n-based insurgent g roups fighting in Kashmir.
Islamabad was battling another crisis on its western border on Saturday after Iran accused Pakistan-based militants of killing 27 Revolutionary Guards in a suicide attack in Isfahan city.
Tehran asked Pakistan to crack down on militants or face consequences for “housing” them.
The warnings to Islamabad came ahead of Sunday’s two-day visit by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to Pakistan. He is expected to visit India a day later.
Street protests continued on Saturday across Indian cities with demonstrators burning effigies of Pakistani leaders and cleric Maulana Masood Azhar, who founded Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The shock attack has caused widespread anger across India and a v iolent back la sh aga i nst Kash mir is elsewhere in t he countr y.
Mob attacks on Kashmiri students and businessmen have been reported in the northern city of Dehradun, with some fleeing the city.
A curfew remained in place in Kashmir’s Hindu-majority Jammu city after mobs on Friday attacked Kashmiri properties, set fire to vehicles and pelted housingcomplexeswithstones,prompting counter-protests in Srinagar.
At least 12 people were injured in the city, local media reported, and internet access in the area was suspended.
Angr y Indian socia l media users f uriously demanded retribution for Thursday ’s at t ack, whi le severa l hawkish TV channels ca lled for a llout war with Pakistan.
The attack has put Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the back foot ahead of national elections due by May.
“Revenge is the only word that comes to my Mind,” Modi government minister Babul Supriyo wrote on Twitter.
A meeting of parties in New Delhi on Saturday extended support to the government in “fighting terrorism, defending India’s unity and integrity”.