Pulwama attack: All-party meeting ends; We stand with govt, says Congress

New Delhi, Feb 16: Several leaders have arrived at the Parliament for the all party meet called by the Centre  to discuss Thursday's terror attack on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force dead.The government will brief the parties about the Pulwama attack and security situation in Kashmir.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, speaking to reporters after Saturday's all-party meeting, said: "We had asked the Home Minister to convey to the Prime Minister that he should call a meeting of presidents of all parties. We have communicated to the government what Rahul Gandhi said in his press conference, that the country is in mourning and is angry. Since 1947, apart from a war, this is for the first time a terror attack has claimed so many lives.

We have differences with the government on a number of issues but at this juncture - we are standing with the government for ending terrorism. Militancy has to end," he said.

Leaders from different political parties arrived at the parliament complex for the meet. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Narendra Singh Tomar were among those who attended the meeting.

This is the first-of-its-kind called by the ruling NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of a terror attack. Before the meeting began, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba went to the residence of the Home Minister to have one-to-one meeting.

The main opposition party, the Congress on Friday extended full support to the government saying "we are not going to be divided".

"This is a terrible tragedy. This type of violence done against our security forces is absolutely disgusting. The aim of terrorism is to divide this country and we are not going to be divided," Gandhi said.

Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said the all-party meeting would be convened to brief political parties on the incident so that the nation speaks in one voice on the issue.

Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama.

The bus was part of a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying CRPF personnel from Jammu to Srinagar.