India on Monday strongly condemned Sunday’s suicide bombing near the Wagah border, in which which 57 people were killed, and told Pakistan to act against all terror groups.
“There is no grievance or political goal so great as to justify such a cowardly act,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
“We believe that only the firmest and most comprehensive action against all terror groups without any distinction is the only way to defeat this evil scourge.”
Pakistani Rangers had set up extra barricades on October 15 after receiving intelligence about a possible threat to the Wagah closing ceremony, which attracts between 12,000 and 20,000 people.
It was this that had prevented the bomber from reaching the main parade venue. Taking a cue from the Pakistani side, Indian officials said they had also set up new barricades.
Indian High Commission officials are in Lahore to oversee security arrangements for the 2,000 Sikh pilgrims who will reach the Pakistani city by the Samjhauta Express on Tuesday to celebrate Gurpurab.
Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Siddiqul Farooq has assured pilgrims of being provided all security measures during their visit.
The jatha, which will include 750 from Punjab, will participate in the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab on Thursday, said Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee secretary Dalmegh Singh, speaking to The Hindu.
More pilgrims from other parts of India are expected to board the train.
Officials at Attari ICP said about 150 trucks carrying cement, gypsum and dry fruits were awaiting clearance at Wagah in Pakistan, while 250 trucks with perishable goods, including vegetables, were stranded on the Indian side.
Though Pakistan allows just 137 items of trade through the land route, according to estimates by the Chambers of Commerce, the value of trade through the Attari ICP is said to have crossed Rs.3,000 crore.
However, customs and security officials denied any halt in trade activities in the aftermath of the Sunday evening blast.
According to the Commissioner, Customs, Sunil Kumar, who reviewed the security arrangements and preparedness at the Attari ICP on Monday, there was no proposal from Pakistan to halt trade through the land route for the time being.
He said trade at the ICP was closed on Monday and Tuesday for the Muharram holidays in Pakistan. He said that the situation would be reviewed when officers from both sides meet on November 5.
Meanwhile, Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh, who was addressing a public meeting at Ajnala near the border in Amritsar, said it was time Pakistan accepted India’s offer for a joint fight against terrorism in the region. Expressing grief over the loss of lives in Sunday’s blast, he said, “It is innocent blood that is spilled whether here [in India] or there [in Pakistan].”
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