In an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government It said it is “firmly and resolutely committed to taking all necessary measures to safeguard its national security in the fight against terrorism.”
The Foreign Ministry said a protest was filed with the Pakistani charge d’affaires in New Delhi.
“India reiterated its longstanding demand that Pakistan meet its international obligations and bilateral commitments not to allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India in any way,” the ministry said in a statement.
The call came a day after intelligence information warned that members of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Muhammed are planning “something big” to disrupt the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
On Thursday morning, security forces shot dead four terrorists in the Jammu region of Nagrota. A huge cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered along with various incriminating evidence, dating back to Pakistan.
The discovery prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to directly name “the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Muhammad” behind efforts to wreak great havoc and destruction to “target grassroots democratic exercises in Jammu and Kashmir.”
The prime minister on Friday reviewed the situation at J&K in light of what is seen as a Pakistani-inspired plot to create chaos. The meeting was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, the NSA Ajit Doval, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and senior officials of the intelligence system.
The head of the Intelligence Office reportedly briefed Prime Minister Modi on the contributions suggesting that the four Jaish terrorists killed in a meeting on Thursday were planning something big for the upcoming DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
After the review, the prime minister took to social media to highlight the efforts of Pakistan-based terror groups to attack grassroots democracy in J&K and to congratulate the security forces for thwarting these plans.
Neutralization of 4 terrorists belonging to the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed and the presence of… https://t.co/I29o77GxSU
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1605866869000
Our security forces have once again demonstrated the utmost courage and professionalism. Thanks to his alertness, h… https://t.co/dSDW3SvuY4
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1605866927000
His tweets were considered to be directed against Pakistan’s ISI, which uses jihadist terrorist teams such as Jaish and Lashkar to harm India.
The first phase of the DDC elections is scheduled for November 28 and the eighth and last on December 19. Election results for 280 seats, 14 each in the 20 districts, will be declared on December 22.
(With inputs from agencies)
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