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Mukhtar Ahmad In Srinagar
Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Wednesday asked Islamabad to hand over Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief commander of terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad militant.
Advani said, "The rulers of Pakistan cannot deny the fact that Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the organisation, is in Pakistan."
"If they are earnest in fighting against terrorism, let the Jaish-e-Muhammad leader, whose organisation owned responsibility for Monday's suicide attack on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, be handed over to India so that he be brought to justice," the home minister said.
Advani arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday morning and drove to the state assembly complex from the airport under tight security. Commandos and paramilitary troops in scores of vehicles escorted Advani.
He said, "Pakistan is angry with the people of Jammu and Kashmir for having belied the Two Nation Theory and people of this state deciding to accede to the democratic and secular India. This is a manifestation of that anger."
Monday's attack on the assembly was not a random attack of the kind that have been taking place in the valley, when militants would attack soft targets, Advani said.
"The state legislature was chosen as the representative institution of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting the commitments of the people simultaneously to democracy, secularism and to unity with India."
"Monday's attack on the state legislature was meticulously planned and the targets were carefully chosen, like the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11," he said.
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