Haryana Budget session: House urges Centre to give ‘befitting reply to Pakistan’ for Pulwama attack

The Haryana Assembly unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday, strongly condemning the terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir and urged the central government to give a “befitting reply to Pakistan” for the ghastly act. At least 40 CRPF personnel died in the attack on February 14.

The members also decided to donate one month’s salary to the next of kin of the CRPF personnel killed in Pulwama.

While reading the obituary references on the opening day of Budget Session of the Vidhan Sabha, Leader of Opposition and senior INLD leader Abhay Chautala said his party MLAs have decided to donate one-month salary to the families of Pulwama attack victims. It was supported by Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhry and Leader of the House, Manohar Lal Khattar.

Demanding a stern retaliatory action, Kiran Choudhry said, “It is time, a befitting reply should be given to Pakistan. All talks with Pakistan should be stopped”. She added that there had been a “steady escalation in Pakistan-sponsored terrorist activities” and the time has come when a “befitting reply needs to be given to Pakistan”.

The House unanimously condemned Pakistan and Jaish-e-Mohammad for the ghastly terrorist attack on Indian armed forces.

The session began with the Governor’s address. It followed with the House paying tributes to personalities, martyrs and freedom fighters who passed away between the end of winter session in December last year and beginning of the Budget session.

Khattar moved a resolution condemning the Pulwama terrorist attack.

“The House strongly condemns the terrorist attack and salutes these great soldiers for their supreme sacrifice of laying down their lives for the nation,” read the resolution that was unanimously passed by the House.

Apart from the CRPF martyrs, the House paid tributes to former Union Minister George Fernandes, Member of Haryana Legislative Assembly Jaswinder Singh Sandhu and former Ministers of State Sita Ram Singla and Ved Singh Malik.

The House also paid tributes to Naik Sandeep Kumar of Atali village in Faridabad and Sepoy Hari Singh of Rajgarh village in Rewari district, who were killed in two separate encounters between security forces and militants in J&K’s Pulwama.

Para commando Sandeep Kumar had sustained severe injuries in a counter-terrorist operation on February 12 in Pulwama and succumbed to his injuries yesterday.

Sepoy Hari Singh of Rajgarh village in Rewari was part of the unit that eliminated Kamran, who allegedly had a hand in February 14 attack on the CRPF convoy.

Later in the evening, state government announced that Khattar will visit the families of Sandeep and Hari Singh in Faridabad and Rewari, respectively, on Wednesday.

Tributes were paid to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who hailed from Hisar and died in a mid-air collision between two aircraft of Indian Air Force’s aerobatic team Surya Kiran near Bengaluru on Tuesday. A two-minute silence was also observed to pay homage to the departed souls.