Jammu, Feb 16 (UNI) In the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik here at the Raj Bhawan and discussed with him the prevailing situation in Jammu where curfew has been in force since Friday.
In their 30-minute meeting, the duo discussed the law and order situation and the various measures taken by the administration in the last 48 hours were also taken cognisance of.
Dr Singh was of the view that, by and large, the people of Jammu are peace loving and have kept restraint even during the worse provocations when militancy was at its peak in 1990s.
However, he said, the Pulwama attack had caused deep pain and outrage in the heart of every patriotic Indian and to that extent, the anger and remorse of the people of Jammu was quite justified.
But, what is appreciable, he said, is that in spite of this tragic shock, people have demonstrated considerable constraint and endurance.
Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration that those who committed this heinous act had made a grave mistake for themselves and would have to pay for it, Dr Jitendra Singh said, we have every reason to trust the PM's commitment to his people.
Later, speaking to a group of citizens who called on him, Dr Jitendra Singh said, this is no time to indulge in too much of rhetoric analysis, but hoped that the Pulwama attack would awaken the conscience of the Kashmir apologetic and Kashmir-centric leaders who enjoy the privilege of being protected by a cordon of dozens of security persons, including the CRPF men, but do not have the courage or the conviction to out-rightly condemn an attack on the same CRPF personnel.
Dr Singh said, he was pained to read very vague and generalised statements of condemnation from such leaders, like, for example, some of the Kashmir-centric politicians saying "we condemn violence happening anywhere" or some saying, "violence is against civilised society".
He said, they tacitly avoid straightaway calling a terrorist a terrorist. Time has come to shame Pakistan as well as its sympathisers, he added.
Earlier in the day, Dr Singh attended the funeral of the Pulwama attack martyr, Naseer Ahmed at his village in Thanamandi near Rajouri.
UNI VBH RSU 2103