PROTEST LODGED, ENVOY RECALLED

In its initial diplomatic response, India summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood and lodged a strong protest over the Pulwama terror attack. Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale conveyed that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against the Jaish-e-Muhammad, which had claimed responsibility immediately after the attack. He rejected the statement made by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry denying any involvement in the suicide attack.In another development, India has called its High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajya Bisaria to New Delhi "for consultations." The External Affairs Ministry has also called upon the international community to support its bid to get the JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar declared a "designated terrorist" by the United Nations. However, China, even as it condemned the attack, is not ready to oblige India on Masood Azhar.