India, April 25 -- The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Thursday said the "cowardly and calculated act of terror, mastermind by Pakistan, is a direct assault on the values of our Republic" and maintained that "the deliberate targeting of Hindus was done to inflame passions across the country."

The CWC - the highest body in the Congress- also said it was "imperative that a comprehensive analysis is conducted into the intelligence failures and security lapses" in a Union Territory that came "directly under the purview of the Union home ministry."

It also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and said the latter was trying to exploit the attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir two days ago.

"The massacre has rightly drawn conde...