India briefs Heads of Missions of Arab countries on Pakistan's role in Pulwama attack

ANI

New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Feb 16, 2019, 02:05 PM IST

A convoy of CRPF personnel passing through the Pulwama district was targeted for a suicide bombing. An explosive-filled vehicle rammed into the convoy, killing 40 paramilitary soldiers. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) released a video claiming responsibility for the attack. Photograph:(Agencia EFE)

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Ambassadors of UAE, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Morocco, Egypt and Kuwait arrived for the Ministry of External Affairs briefing.

India on Saturday briefed Heads of Missions of Arab countries about Islamabad's role in sponsoring terror outfit—Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that orchestrated the terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday.

Ambassadors of UAE, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Morocco, Egypt and Kuwait arrived for the Ministry of External Affairs briefing.

The meeting comes a day after the MEA apprised around 25 Heads of Mission (HoM) including representatives from South Korea, Sweden, Slovakia, France, Spain, Bhutan, Germany, Hungary, Italy, European Union, Canada, Britain, Russia, Israel, Australia, and Japan.

On Friday, India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over Pulwama terror attack and its High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood was summoned by the Foreign Secretary in connection with the attack.

According to sources, Gokhale issued a strong demarche in connection with the terrorist attack in Pulwama and conveyed that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against JeM.

He also conveyed to Mahmood that Pakistan must immediately stop any groups or individuals associated with terrorism from operating from its territories, the source added.

The Foreign Secretary also rejected the statement made by the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan on Thursday with regards to the attack.

Nearly 40 CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist rammed a vehicle carrying over 100-kg explosives into their bus on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Thursday at around 3.15 pm at Ladhu Modi Lethpora.

The convoy consisted of 78 buses in which around 2,500 CRPF personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar.

JeM, a terror outfit based in Pakistan and led by Masood Azhar, has carried out several terror attacks in India including the attack on Pathankot airbase in 2016.

Masood was released by the then government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for hostages on board flight IC-814 in December 1999.

India has approached the United Nations to list Masood as a global terrorist, but China always vetoes New Delhi’s bid in this regard.