3. 03 pm: Omar Abdullah pays homage to CRPF martyrs
After the criticisms, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rushes to Srinagar airport to pay homage to the CRPF martyrs. CRPF jawans had earlier expressed anger that no government official were present at the funeral.
1. 50 pm: India a soft target, says Yashwant Sinha
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said, “India has become a soft state with regards to Pakistan.”
1. 43 pm: CRPF jawans question Omar Abdullah government
Omar Abdullah. Reuters
“Our lives not worthy enough? The government doesn’t care about us,” said one of the CRPF jawans to a Times Now.
The funeral ceremony for the five CRPF jawans killed in the Srinagar attack by militants turned into a controversy today as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah absented himself from the proceedings, an act that infuriated the rank and file.
Loud calls of ‘Where is Omar Abdullah’ were made as the jawans coffins, wrapped in the tri-colour, were carried through the streets by their grieving comrades.
1:39 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for 45 mins.
1. 25 pm: Shinde replies to BJP, says intelligence inputs not taken lightly
Defending his government, Shinde says that intelligence inputs are not taken lightly. “Whatever information we get from intelligence agencies, we share it with all the states. We had alerted the big cities–Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad–before the Hyderabad blasts. General alerts are received from Central intelligence agencies for all states. Coordination exists between intelligence agencies.”
But, Jammu and Kashmir is different, says Shinde. “In J&K, we do not want guns to always to do the talking. So all paramilitary soldiers were not armed at the time,” he said. He said that the youths from J&K are being trained to take them into different paramilitary forces.
“We are keeping an eye on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the terror camps running there. I want to assure the House that we are trying to bring peace in Kashmir by bringing in a special package.”
Shinde then reads out statistics of terrorists who were killed, security personnel and civillians who died in Jammu and Kashmir since 2006. “Casualty report terrorist violence in J&K since 2006: 151 (security personnel dead), 389 (civilians dead), 591 (ultras killed).”
#RajyaSabha 2007: 110 (security personnel dead), 158 (civilians dead), 472 (ultras killed);
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
#RajyaSabha 2008: 75 (security personnel dead), 91 (civilians dead), 339 (ultras killed)
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
#RajyaSabha 2009: 79 (security personnel dead), 71 (civilians dead), 239 (ultras killed)
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
#RajyaSabha 2010: 69 (security personnel dead), 47 (civilians dead), 232 (ultras killed)
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
#RajyaSabha 2011: 33 (security personnel dead), 31 (civilians dead), 100 (ultras killed)
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
#RajyaSabha 2012: 15 (security personnel dead), 15 (civilians dead), 72 (ultras killed)
— Firstpost (@firstpostin) March 14, 2013
And here’s a reaction to his stats:
Listening to our Home Minister speak about Kashmir is like listening to a sub-inspector reporting to his superior officer.
— Tavleen Singh (@tavleen_singh) March 14, 2013
1. 15 pm: Why didn’t the government not act on intelligence inputs, asks BJP
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi asks why the government did not act if they were alerted by the intelligence agencies from before. “How serious is the government about national security? If the government had intelligence inputs then why did the government not act on it?,” he asks.
1. 08 pm: Where was Shinde when we were debating CRPF attack, asks Derek O Brien
Raising concern over the attack on CRPF camp, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O Brien questions the top leaders of the government. “We’re talking about issues about Sri Lanka and Kashmir, but 15 minutes ago we didn’t even know where the Home Minister was!,” he says.
1. 05 pm : Sitaram Yechury questions govt’s terror policy
Left leader Sitaram Yechury also questions the government’s policy on terrorism. He says, “After 26/11, govt said all agencies must coordinate. What has been done? What do you mean state is on general alert? The whole country is on general alert!”
1. 00pm: Venkaiah Naidu asks govt for zero-tolerance to Pak’s terrorism
Blaming Pakistan for the terror attacks in Srinagar, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu says, “This is the handiwork of our neighbour. Our enemy. I’ve said it before, I’m saying it again.”
“What is the approach of the government to Pakistan, to terrorism? It should be zero tolerance! Please understand the entire country is agitated. Because of the actions of our enemy. Government needs to evolve a proper response to this provocation in consultation with other political parties, ” he said.
12. 52 pm: Opposition MPs discuss Srinagar issue
Venkaiah Naidu rises to question Shinde on the Srinagar issue, but, Deputy Chairman Kurien doesn’t allow. Upset opposition MPs question Kurien, and says they want to discuss issue in Rajya Sabha. BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad also tells the speaker that the issue must be discussed now.
12. 48 pm: Shinde makes statement in Rajya Sabha
Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde reads his statement in Rajya Sabha. He says that the prima facie evidence shows that the terrorists were from Pakistan. “Weapons recovered from terrorists made in Karachi,” he said.
12. 40 pm: BJP protests outside J&K Assembly
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are protesting outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly against the Omar Abdullah government. The BJP workers protesting against killing of CRPF jawans in Kashmir are beinglathicharged in Jammu.
BJP members and other Jammu-based opposition parties, National Panthers Party [NPP] and Jammu State Morcha today staged a walk-out in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, holding the Kashmir-based political parties responsible for “glorification of terror” and demanding dismissal of the four-year-old Omar Abdullah government.
During the Question Hour open, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami demanded the state government’s statement on Wednesday’s killing of a civilian allegedly by Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] in Zoonimar area of Srinagar.
12. 35 pm: Shinde reads out statement on terror attack
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde rises amid angry shouting by opposition members in the Lok Sabha and reads out the statement on terror attack in Srinagar.
Shinde says, “Terrorists had diaries on them with telephone numbers suspected to be Pakistani.” He also said that the killed terrorists are suspected to be foreign origin. (MPs keep shouting)
Angry Shinde then tells opposition MPs, “listen to the statement”. And the shouting dies down.
11. 50 am: Sushma Swaraj raises Srinagar attack issue in Parliament
Raising the issue of terror attack in the CRPF camp in Sringar, Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, asked why Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was not in the Lok Sabha when the House paid tribute to five soldiers who were killed in a suicide attack by militants in Srinagar yesterday.
Sushma Swaraj. PTI
“Are the top leaders of the government not concerned about terrorism? ” she asked.
Swaraj said that despite the BJP repeatedly warning the government to scale down ties with Pakistan, they did not pay much heed. Swaraj then went on to question External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid saying, “Why would our minister go and meet Pakistan Prime Minister at such times of crisis.”
Shouting MPs protested against Swaraj’s statement, and did not allow her to speak.
The BJP leader then asked the MPs to stop challenging her and instead challenge Pakistan. “Today is not the day to challenge opposition leaders. It’s time to challenge Pakistan. We should fight against terror together, ” she said. BJP MPs join her and start protesting against Shinde.
BJP blames Pakistan for terror attacks in Sringar
After the attacks in Sringar, the BJP asked the government to scale down relations with Pakistan to the “minimum” level as the attackers are believed to belong to that country. Party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad underlined that the attack took place just four days after Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf visited Ajmer for peace.
“Five CRPF jawans were killed in the attack in Srinagar today. The Home Secretary had said they appear to be Pakistani terrorists. Just four days back the Pakistan Prime Minister had come to India to pray for international peace,” Prasad told reporters.
Home Secretary RK Singh had earlier said that the terrorists appeared to be Pakistanis. Two were shot dead; he said another two may have escaped.
The militants, carrying what looked like cricket bags, entered the CRPF camp and walked onto a large open field where off-duty officers and children were playing a cricket match. They opened fire without cover and lobbed grenades at the officers.
