- (AFP) - Six suspected militants launched a daring assault
on the Indian parliament, triggering a shootout with security forces in
which 12 people were killed as some 300 MPs huddled together for safety
in the building's central hall.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said all the "half a
dozen" gunmen had been killed, .
"There were half a dozen terrorists. They are all dead," he told
AFP.
Five security personnel and a civilian were also killed in the attack.
"The first bullet was fired around 11:40 am (0610 GMT). The terrorists
were armed with grenades and machine guns and they entered parliament by
climbing over the boundary wall," he added.
Mahajan said the gunmen began firing at gate number one which is the general
entrance for MPs and at gates number 11 and 12 which are the VIP entrances.
"Terrorists have attacked India's parliament. I think this is a challenge
not just for the government but also for the entire nation," he said.
Mahajan said he did not know who was behind the attack.
India's Health Minister C.P. Thakur said the gunmen apparently entered
by disguising their vehicle as a member of parliament's car which had a
special security sticker on it.
Mahajan said the vice president was inside the parliament building at the
time of the attack, as were Home Minster Lal Krishna Advani and Foreign
Minster Jaswant Singh.
But Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and leader of the main opposition
Congress party Sonia Gandhi were not there at the time, he said.
The prime minister is now at his residence, he said.
One television cameraman was injured, but no MPs were hurt, he added.
The Pakistan government condemned the attack.
Foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said the Pakistan government had
been "shocked" to hear of the attack earlier in the day which
Indian authorities said left several dead and wounded.
"The government strongly and unequivocally condemns the attack,"
the spokesman told a press briefing. But Khan refused to comment further
until more details were released.
Military government spokesman Rashid Qureshi told the briefing: "If
there are some casualties we would like to sympathise with the people who
have suffered. Beyond that we will only comment when we get details."
Kashmir's main separatist alliance also condemned the attack and demanded
an enquiry to identify the "ugly faces" behind the assault.
Defence Minister George Fernandes, speaking from inside the parliament
building, said six gunmen had been involved in the attack.
"The army has been called out in the area around parliament. There
is nothing to worry about. We are trying to identify who did it,"
Fernandes said.
"We are in touch with our officers in Kashmir," he added, fuelling
speculation that the attack may have been the work of Kashmiri Muslim militants.
"The parliament outer perimeter is in the control of army, as is the
prime minister's house, his office and the home minister's home and office."
Thursday's assault on the heart of the Indian government was the most audacious
ever carried out within the Indian capital, and the first on parliament
itself.
In December last year, a small group of suspected Mulsim militants launched
an attack on the capital's historic Red Fort, killing three people.
India blamed the attack on the hardline Lashkar-e-Taiba militant outfit,
although the group denied any involvement.
Home Minister Advani said all state administrations had been placed on
the highest state of alert.
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