Pulwama attack: Pb min cancels Pak visit to lodge protest

Punjab minister Balbir Singh Sidhu Friday cancelled his scheduled visit to Lahore to lodge a "strong protest" against the Pulwama terror attack orchestrated by a Pakistan-based terror group in which at least 40 CRPF men died.

The animal husbandry and labour minister was supposed to attend an International Buffalo Congress organised by the University of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, Lahore from February 18 to 20.

The decision was taken "to lodge a strong protest against the dastardly attack on the CRPF personnel at Pulwama", an official release said.

Sidhu said that he was slated to go to Pakistan along with the farmers of the state to take part in the congress which will be attended by the representatives from different countries, he said in the release.

The gruesome attack on CRPF convoy has shaken me emotionally and in order to show solidarity with the families of the jawans who lost their lives, I have decided to cancel my visit to Pakistan, he further said.

The Punjab Assembly too strongly condemned the attack and passed a resolution for the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for the day.

At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus.

More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel (CRPF), many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.

The JeM claimed responsibility for the attack that took place about 20 km from Srinagar.