EDITOR'S NOTE:

Many of our readers have expressed concern over the headline "Govt blames Pak after local youth rams CRPF convoy with IED-packed SUV in worst-ever J&K terror strike". The headline clearly said it was a terror strike. There is nevertheless a feeling that it conveyed an impression of Pakistan being 'unfairly' blamed.

While fully appreciating these sentiments, we wish to point out that our entire coverage was unambiguous in stating that the terrorist was a member of Pakistan-based and controlled Jaish-e-Mohammad.

In fact, there is a detailed report on Pakistan’s intelligence agency increasingly using

Jaish as its ‘sword arm’ to organise terror attacks in India

.

TOI condemns terror and grieves for the families of those martyred in Thursday's attack. We have amended the original headline of this story.

SRINAGAR: India on Thursday held Pakistan directly responsible for the worst-ever terrorist attack in J&K earlier in the day in which a suicide bomber belonging to ISI-controlled terrorist outfit Jaishe-Mohammad (JeM) rammed an explosive-laden Scorpio SUV into a bus carrying CRPF personnel, turning the bus into a mangled heap and killing at least 37. Another 5 injured personnel are being treated at the 92 Base Hospital.The bomber, identified by a JeM spokesman as Adil Ahmed Dar , drove the Scorpio into the bus at 3.15 pm on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Lethpora in Avantipura area of Pulwama district of south Kashmir, a hotbed of Pakistan-fuelled terrorism.Though Adil alias Waqas Commando, a local from Gundi Bagh in Pulwama, was the lone occupant of the SUV rigged with explosives, he had the cover of JeM terrorists who opened fire on the CRPF men who were in three other buses to stop them from coming to the help of their fellow troopers. The victims, as well as those in the three other buses which formed the convoy, were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar to resume work after returning from leave.The attack surpassed the Uri attack on the camp of the Army, which had led the Modi government to launch surgical strikes against terrorist groups operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.India pinned the responsibility for the carnage on Pakistan. “The heinous and despicable act has been perpetrated by Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation proscribed by the United Nations and other countries. This terror group is led by international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by the government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity,” the ministry of external affairs said.It further said, “The GOI is firmly and resolutely committed to take all necessary measures to safeguard national security. We are equally resolved to fight against the menace of terrorism. We demand that Pakistan stop supporting terrorist and terror groups operating from their territory and dismantle the infrastructure operated by terrorist outfits to launch attacks in other countries.”Pakistan tried to de-link itself from the terrorist attack through a media release issued by its foreign office. While expressing concern over the attack, it rejected 'insinuation' in the Indian media and government, blaming it for the attack without investigation.