Pulwama Attack background and aftermath

 When rest of the world was celebrating the day of love, Valentine’s Day, 40 security personnel of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) were killed brutally by a terrorist, a suicide bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar at 3:15 pm at Lethopora in Pulwama District in Jammu Kashmir.  

Shockingly, the terrorist was an Indian citizen and had joined Jaish-e-Mohamad, a terrorist organization with its base in Pakistan, a year ago.  

The dispute for Kashmir’s annexation, between India and Pakistan, is decades old and continues till date. Let us first know what actually happened on the afternoon of 14 February 2019. 

Carrying more than 2500 CRPF persons, a convoy of 78 vehicles was going to Srinagar from Jammu via NH 44, when a car loaded with explosives and driven by Adil Ahmad Dar rammed into one of the vehicles of the convoy, killing 40 security personnel and injuring many. The attack is considered to be deadliest, since 1989, on Indian Paramilitary Forces by terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir.    

The State Funerals of all the security personnel killed were held at their native places.  

India retaliated in every possible way. On February 16, India withdrew the status of Most Favored Nation (MFN) from Pakistan and hiked the custom duty to 200 percent on all goods imported from Pakistan and since then there has been no movement of good from Pakistan and many trucks are stranded on Pakistan side of India-Pakistan border, awaiting India’s approval for export to India.  

India also requested Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering to blacklist Pakistan and as a result of Indian request, Pakistan has been greylisted till 29th October 2019, and if they fail to meet the requirements, Pakistan will be blacklisted.  

Along with taking back the security provided to the separatists in J&K, some of them were arrested as well.  

India also plans to stop the flow its share of water to Pakistan under the Indus Water treaty, according to which,

India has also decided to stop the only bus service to Muzzafarabad.  

As far as sports is concerned, there is a request by BCCI to ICC for boycott of Pakistan from the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup and also, pictures of Pakistani players have been removed and dumped from cricket stadiums in India as a mark of hatred in the wake of cowardly terror attack. 

Major politicians from around the world have condemned the attacks and have supported India except for China. Although China has condemned the attack on CRPF but it has repeatedly vetoed Indian proposal to UNSC for a ban on the head of Jaish-e-Mohamad, Masood Azhar. 

Post the attack on CRPF, some changes were introduced in the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to eliminate possibilities of such attacks. 

Avenging the attack on security personnel, Indian security forces killed top JeM leader and mastermind of Pulwama attack, Kamran, along with his two companions on 18th of February.  

In another major victory, Indian Air Force bombed Jaish-e-Mohamad terror camps along the LoC in Muzzafarabad in which JeM’s chief’s close relative was killed.