Badal urges Centre to seal border to check terrorism

CM says state govt fully committed to preserve peace and communal harmony, no one will be allowed to disturb it

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today hailed the security forces for thwarting the attack by a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists at an Air Force base here and urged Centreto "effectively seal" the border to curb the menaceof cross-border terrorism.

The united effort of the state and central security agencies have once again foiled the nefarious designs of the anti-national forces, he said.

"The entire country salutes thesebrave hearts that are ever ready to combat any such move," Badal said.

Badal said that it was the high time that Centre take a call on cross-border terrorism by"effectively sealing" the border.

In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, struck at an Air Force base here in Punjab, leading to a fierce gunbattle in which three security personnel were killed along with four attackers.

Interacting with the people at the residence of Ikaagar Singh who was killed by the terrorists on Thursday night here, the CM said that state government was fully committed to preserve the peace andcommunal harmony in Punjab and no one would be allowed to disturb it at any cost.

"Ikaagar Singh was a national martyr, who laid his life for the country," Badal said.

The Chief Minister announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the Ikagar's family besides government job for his wife.

The state government would also give old age pension to parents of Ikaagar, Badal added.

On Thursday night, 4-5 suspected Pakistani terrorists in army uniform had abducted and thrashed a Superintendent of Police and his two associates before dumping them some distance away and speeding away in his vehicle.

The body of Ikaagar Singh was found near the SP's abandoned vehicle at a place 35 kms from Pathankot.

It is believed that the men, who abducted the SP and two others, first snatched Ikaagar's Innova who was on his way back from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. They slit his throat and dumped his body near the bridge before fleeing.

Badal said that our gallant forces have given a befitting response to the highly condemnable assault from across the border.

"Timely intelligence inputs had ensured that the damage which the terrorists could inflict was minimised and contained,"he said.

The Chief Minister said that the terror attack was perhaps "an attempt to undo the peace imitative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his visit to Pakistan."

The attack came just a week after Modi made an unscheduled visit to Pakistan and met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with an aim of improving ties.