New Delhi [India], February 14: Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi on Friday paid tribute to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a post on the social media platform X, Priyanka Gandhi expressed her gratitude and respect for the brave martyrs, writing, “Salute and heartfelt tribute to our brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the Pulwama terror attack. The country will always be indebted to the brave martyrs and their families. Jai Hind.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also honored the fallen heroes, saying on social media, “Homage to the courageous heroes we lost in Pulwama in 2019. The coming generations will never forget their sacrifice and their unwavering dedication to the nation.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the attack a “cowardly act of terrorism,” paying tribute to the soldiers and expressing India’s strong stance against terrorism. “On behalf of the grateful nation, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who were martyred in the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama on this day in 2019,” he wrote. “Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the entire human race, and the whole world has united against it. Be it a surgical strike or an airstrike, the Modi government is determined to completely destroy the terrorists by running a campaign with a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against them.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also paid his respects, emphasizing the importance of the sacrifice made by the soldiers. “The sacrifice of the brave sons of Mother India inspires us to fight unitedly against terrorism,” he wrote on X.
On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy with an IED-laden vehicle, killing 40 soldiers. In response, India carried out airstrikes on February 26, 2019, targeting Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot, neutralizing a significant number of terrorists and destroying their infrastructure. The Pakistani military’s counteroffensive was thwarted by an alert Indian Air Force (IAF), and during the ensuing dogfight, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 Bison was shot down, and he was captured by Pakistan. India also shot down a Pakistani fighter jet during the clash.
The 2019 attack remains one of the most tragic moments in recent Indian history, with a continued commitment by the government to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.