PM, Sonia condemn Srinagar attack, say terrorism will be defeated

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that India stands firmly united against terrorism and won’t allow the militants to succeed in their nefarious designs a day after eight Army men were killed in a deadly terror attack in Srinagar.

Zee Media Bureau

Kishtwar: A day after the militant strike in Srinagar left eight soldiers dead, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the entire country stands united against terrorism and the terrorists will not succeed in their evil designs. "I want to pay my tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists," Singh said in his speech after inaugurating 850 MW Rattle power project here along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Security is a pre-requisite for development, the Prime Minister said as he paid tributes to the soldiers killed in militant strike yesterday, asserting such attacks would not deter efforts to bring normalcy in the state. "Our analysis is that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has shown considerable improvement. The terrorist- related violence in 2012 had shown a sharp decline and was the lowest in last two decades," the Prime Minister said. However, Singh said there was a need to keep a constant vigil to prevent attacks like the one that took place yesterday at Hyderpora. On the power front, the Prime Minister said the Centre will provide all help to Jammu and Kashmir in overcoming the power shortage and announced several steps in this direction, including additional 150 MW supply from the Northern Grid. Addressing the people of Jammu & Kashmir, the PM said, “My government is planning to start Srinagar-Leh power transmission line worth Rs 1,629 crore to ensure power supply in Leh throughout the year.” On her turn, Sonia Gandhi also strongly condemned the attack on military convoy in Srinagar and expressed her condolence over the death of eight army men in the incident. The Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were given a rousing welcome after they arrived in Udhampur this morning. The two were then flown by helicopter to Kishtwar where they inaugurated a hydel power project. The Prime Minister’s Office yesterday confirmed that Dr Singh will visit the state despite the terror attack at an Army convoy in Jammu and Kashmir`s capital Srinagar in which eight jawans were killed. During the visit, the PM is also expected to announce a package for border areas of the state. The Prime Minister and Gandhi will tomorrow launch a train service between Qazigund in Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu, providing an all-weather surface link to the Valley that often gets cut off from rest of the country in the winter due to heavy snowfall. With PTI inputs