New Delhi, May 16
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today held “informal consultations” with senior Cabinet colleagues to discuss ways to tackle terrorist attacks like the one carried out on Tuesday near Jammu, in which more than 30 persons were killed.

According to sources, Defence Minister George Fernandes briefed the participants on the overall situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Fernandes, who visited the scene of the terrorist killings yesterday, also briefed the meeting about the Tuesday’s attack and its fallout, the sources said. Subsequently, Mr Vajpayee briefed his Cabinet colleagues about the telephonic conversation he had with American President George Bush and asserted that India would counter such terrorist attacks firmly, the sources said.

The government will gives its response on attack near Jammu in Parliament tomorrow, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said today.

Dr Abdullah stated this after a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani to review the situation.

Besides Mr Advani and Dr Abdullah, the meeting was attended by Defence Minister George Fernandes and number of senior officials of Army and Border Security Force.

Meanwhile, a Defence Ministry spokesman said Pakistan’s complicity in Tuesday’s ghastly attack near Jammu which left 31 persons dead has been proved with all the three terrorists involved found to be Pakistani nationals.