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Former top police officials have said that the attack is the hallmark of a Pakistan-sponsored module and have called for strong action against the Pakistani military and its intelligence agency ISI.
SP Vaid, former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Police, told CNBC-TV18 that the blast was “undoubtedly a terrorist incident” and appeared to be linked to a larger module uncovered by multiple state police forces. “I have no doubt about it from my experience in Jammu and Kashmir,” Vaid said. He said the Red Fort blast and the terror module discovered in Faridabad were “all linked”.
He said the investigation would take time to unfold but stressed that such attacks were part of a pattern conducted by Pakistan-based groups. He said, “This is a terrorist module of the Pakistan-based organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, which, as I have said repeatedly, is a creation of Pakistan’s ISI and the Pakistan Army. Unless you break their spine, you will not be able to eliminate them completely.”
Former Maharashtra ADGP PK Jain agreed, saying the evidence so far points to cross-border sponsorship. “I would not agree with anyone who says this is a local module. Links with Jaish-e-Mohammed have already emerged during the preliminary investigation,” Jain told CNBC-TV18.
He pointed to the seizures made in the Faridabad case, where about three tonnes of explosive material, liquid explosives and automatic rifles were seized. “If this material had not been intercepted, you can imagine how many places could have been targeted and how many lives would have been lost,” he said. Jain described the Red Fort blast as a desperate attempt by a terrorist whose network had already been exposed and dismantled.
Both experts praised the police and intelligence agencies for taking swift action to trace the car used in the attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. However, he warned that the threat was part of a wider conspiracy with the potential for much larger attacks across the country.
Vaid stressed that India’s response should go beyond targeting terrorist camps. He said, “The policy of the Indian government is very clear. Any relations with Pakistan need to be established, and once that happens, Pakistan will have to face consequences. Attacking terror camps is fine, but the mother of all evils is the Pakistan Army and the ISI.”
The Home Ministry has handed over the investigation of the case to India’s premier anti-terrorism agency National Investigation Agency (NIA). Home Minister Amit Shah has held several review meetings to assess the situation, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit to Bhutan, said the government will “get to the bottom of the conspiracy.”
Watch the attached video for the full conversation.