Pak should take action against JeM, Masood Azhar: VK Singh on Pulwama attack

Union Minister and former Indian Army Chief General (retired) VK Singh on Friday said Pakistan should take stringent action against the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and its chief Masood Azhar after the dastardly terror attack in Pulwama.

Condemning the attack on a CRPF convoy in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed, Singh told ANI, "Appropriate action will be taken, it is a very sad incident, it is deplorable, it is something which should lead us to take action so that this should not happen again. Pakistan must take action against JeM and Masood Azhar, the onus is on Pakistan now."

Meanwhile, former Army Chief Bikram Singh said terrorists have now changed the tactics of attack.

"It shows the change in tactics of terrorists. An IED has been used after a long time, IEDs were used in the past, in 2001-2002 when I was there, this was a normal practice of terrorists, and then they resorted to firing from distance,' he said.

The former Army Chief also opined that radicalisation levels in Jammu and Kashmir have gone up.

"But this thing where a local boy who has been radicalised, he has undertaken a 'fidayeen' action on a moving convoy, shows the emboldened instance of local terrorists, also the fact that radicalisation levels have gone up," Bikram Singh said.

37 CRPF personnel were killed while five others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber rammed a car laden with explosives into a bus carrying CRPF personnel, according to an official statement released on Thursday

The bus carrying 42 CRPF personnel was extensively damaged in the blast, which was followed by firing on the vehicle.

Soon after, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which is based in Pakistan and backed by the Pakistani administration, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was carried out by its suicide bomber.

After the dastardly act, India demanded that the UN ban JeM and its chief Masood Azhar who roams freely in Pakistan.

In a statement, India's External Affairs Ministry said all UN member countries should support a proposal for proscribing Azhar as an international terrorist.