Attackers infiltrated from Pak: Rajnath

Asserting that there would be no compromise in the fight against terror from across the border, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that terrorists infiltrated from Pakistan to carry out the Gurdaspur attack.

He also felt that the three terrorists who carried out the attack might have managed to sneak into India by avoiding watchful eyes of security forces due to difficult terrain and rivers on the border overflowing due to heavy rain.

Pakistan was quick to deny the charges with its foreign office dismissing India’s assertion, saying pointing fingers without investigation is “not a healthy” trend. “We have noted with concern a continuing tendency of India to cast blame on Pakistan for any terrorist incident in India,” it said.

Making the statement amid vociferous protest and slogan shouting by Congress members, Singh said the government is firmly committed to root out terrorism and will do everything possible to prevent cross-border terrorism aimed against India. The Home minister said the preliminary analyses of GPS data indicated that the terrorists infiltrated from Pakistan through the area near Tash in Gurdaspur district, where the Ravi river enters Pakistan.

“It is also suspected that the same terrorists planted five IEDs on the railway track near Village Talwandi between Dina Nagar and Jhakoladi which were subsequently defused by the bomb disposal squad. One night vision device was also recovered from this spot,” he said.

Singh also said during the last one month, there were five attempts at cross-border infiltration in the J&K sector, out of which 4 were interdicted and 8 terrorists neutralised. “In the remaining one instance, the terrorists went back after effective retaliation by the Indian forces,” he said.

“The security forces in the border are alert but the difficult terrain coupled with recent heavy rain, resulting in excess flow in the rivers and canals along the border, could have been a factor, in this particular group sneaking into Punjab,” he said referring to the Gurdaspur attack. Assuring that any effort by enemies of the country will meet an effective and forceful response from security forces, he said the government “has been, and will remain, resolute” in this regard.

“I take this opportunity to assure the House that the government is firmly committed to root out terrorism from India. I also assure the House that the government will do everything possible to prevent cross-border terrorism aimed against India,” he added.