NEW DELHI: On Friday, The Government of India (GoI) summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner and lodged a strong protest in connection with Thursday's deadly suicide attack on CRPF troopers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama which left 40 dead and several critically injured.

According to source report, Foreign Secretary summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday and issued a very strong demarche in connection with the terrorist attack in J&K's Pulwama. Foreign Secretary conveyed that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against JeM and that it must immediately stop groups or individuals associated with terrorism operating from its territories.

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Earlier, sending out a tough message to Pakistan, the government on Friday withdrew the 'most-favoured nation' status to Pakistan, a move which would enable India to increase customs duty on goods coming from the neighbouring country. In a media briefing after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the most-favoured-nation (MFN) status to Pakistan stands revoked. India granted the MFN status to Pakistan way back in in 1996, but the neighbouring country has not yet reciprocated.

Meanwhile, coming down heavily on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that those behind the Pulwama terror attack have committed a “grave mistake” and they will “punished”. The Prime Minister said "If our neighbour, which is totally isolated in the world, thinks it can destabilise India through its tactics and conspiracies, then it is making a big mistake,".

At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed after a suicide bomber rammed a car laden with explosives into a bus carrying them on Thursday. The bus was extensively damaged in the blast, which was followed by firing on the vehicle. Soon after, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which is based in Pakistan and backed by the Pakistani administration, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was carried out by its suicide bomber. After the dastardly act, India demanded that the UN ban JeM and its chief Masood Azhar who roams freely in Pakistan.In a statement, India`s External Affairs Ministry said all UN member countries should support a proposal for proscribing Azhar as an international terrorist.

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