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‘Have to start war with Pak if…’: Union minister says Reasi terror attack was ‘deliberate’
Union minister Ramdas Athawale said that the attack was ‘deliberately carried out’ on the same day as PM Modi took oath in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
A day after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district claimed nine lives, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said that it was a “deliberately carried out” attack to spark fear on the same day when Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term. Athawale was also sworn in as part of the Modi 3.0 cabinet.
While speaking on the terror attack in the Reasi district, Athawale claimed that terrorism has ended in the Jammu and Kashmir region. He asserted that if such incidents keep on persisting, the country will have to start a war against Pakistan.
“I believe terrorism has ended in the region of J&K. This attack was carried out deliberately, just to create fear as PM Narendra Modi forms the government for the third time. But, if such incidents keep happening then we have to start a war with Pakistan... A lot of terrorists enter India through PoK,” the union minister told ANI.
On June 9, a terror attack in the Reasi region of Jammu and Kashmir left nine people dead and 41 injured.
Read more: Reasi survivors played dead as terrorists kept firing after bus fell into gorge
Terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims near Teryath village in the Poni area when it was en route from Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra. The bus plunged into the deep gorge following the attack.
At least 10 people travelling in the bus sustained bullet injuries from the attack.
Soon after the attack, anti-Pakistan protests broke out across the Jammu region, including Katra, Doda town and Kathua district, calling for increased security measures to prevent such incidents. Protestors accused Pakistan for carrying out attacks in the region, and demanded strict action by the Centre against the neighbouring country.
Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives in the terror attack. ₹50,000 will be given to those who got injured in the attack.
(With inputs from agencies)
