‘Entire Nation Speaks in One Voice’: Political Parties Unite At Pulwama Attack Meeting, Condemn Pakistan

The resolution adopted at the meet did not name Pakistan but asserted that India has been facing the menace of the cross-border terrorism which of late, it added, is being actively encouraged by forces from the neighbouring country.

New Delhi Feb 16: The all-party meeting convened by the NDA government on Saturday morning adopted a resolution that expressed India’s determination to fight terrorism following the Pulwama terror attack. Putting forward a united face, all major political parties underlined their solidarity with security forces for defending the country’s unity and integrity.

While the resolution did not name Pakistan, it asserted that India has been facing the menace of the cross-border terrorism which of late, it added, is being actively encouraged by forces from the neighbouring country. “India has displayed both firmness and resilience in dealing with these challenges. The entire nation speaks in one voice to express its determination to fight these challenges. Today, we stand united in solidarity with our security forces in fighting terrorism and in defending the unity and integrity of India,” it stated.

The meeting convened by Home Minister Rajnath Singh was attended by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia of the Congress, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien of the TMC, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena, Jithendra Reddy of the TRS, D Raja of the CPI, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, Ram Vilas Paswan of the LJP among others.

The parties were briefed about the attack in Pulwama in South Kashmir and the steps being taken by the government so far, a Home Ministry official said. Naresh Gujral of the Akali Dal, Upendra Kushwaha of the RLSP and Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav are among others who are attending the meeting.

The meeting was a first-of-its-kind called by the ruling NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of a terror attack.  The last time an all-party meeting was held in the backdrop of a terror attack was in September 2016, when the government decided to brief representatives of all the parties after it had carried out surgical strikes across LoC.

The difference here is that the government this time held an all-party meeting before taking an apparent, decisive action against Pakistan.

After the meeting, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that the opposition parties had informed the home minister that they would stand with the government to end terror in the country.

The opposition parties had also requested Rajnath Singh to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet the presidents of all national and regional parties to discuss the issues in person.
Azad said that the opposition leaders had unitedly told the home minister that all parties had expressed their grief at the attack and loss of lives.

“As per our knowledge barring wars, this is the first time that such a large number of personnel have died since 1947. All parties and countrymen, from all religions and regions are mourning and angry,” Azad said while addressing the media.
“At a time like this, our party has decided that we are with the security forces and the local police in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.