Give free hand to Army to deal with terrorism says, says Mulayam Singh Yadav

Former Defence Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said the Centre should give a free hand to the Army to deal with terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The Army should be given a free hand in dealing with terrorism in the Kashmir Valley," said Yadav in a statement, two days after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror outfit-JeM-rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the CRPF convoy, killing 40 jawans.

Underlining the need for maintaining communal harmony in the country, Yadav said: "The Centre should ensure communal harmony is maintained across the country. Communal harmony boosts the morale of our personnel, while weakens the morale of terrorists."

Yadav also urged the Centre to take care of the family members of slain soldiers in a proper manner.

"It is my personal belief that most of the slain soldiers belonged to poor farmer families who were the sole bread-earners. I urge all the governments of States and Centre to help them as much as they can," he said in the letter.

Forty 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Awantipora in a terror attack orchestrated by JeM.

The convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2500 CRPF personnel were traveling from Jammu to Srinagar, came under attack at around 3.15 pm at Ladhu Modi Lethpora on February 14.

A day after the attack, the Centre announced the withdrawal of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status granted to Pakistan. As many as 48 countries have extended support to India, condemning the dastardly act.