Pahalgam terror attack LIVE: India suspends Indus Water Treaty

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has said 182 tourists will be brought back to Maharashtra from Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has arranged a special flight each of Air India and IndiGo to bring back the stranded tourists in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, said Mohol, MP from Pune, in a video posted on X.

The state government will bear the expenses, he added.

Authorities in Baramulla district have directed PM Package employees and Jammu-based reserved category employees to work from home for one week.

Most of the employees under PM Package are migrant Kashmiri Pandits while Jammu-based reserved category employees either belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes.

“All employees engaged under PM Package and all Jammu-based reserved category employees are hereby directed to work from home for the duration of this week (up to April 27) with immediate effect,” an order issued by Chief Education Officer, Baramulla, on Wednesday reads.

The order is believed to have been issued as a precautionary measure in the wake of the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, saying such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability.

In a statement, the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi also expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan categorically condemns the recent attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses condolences to the bereaved families,” he said.

Balkhi said, “Such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability.”

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and issued an advisory for Kashmiri students studying in different states, asking them to refrain from engaging in political discussions or posting sensitive content on social media platforms as such actions could provoke a backlash or expose them to harm.

In a statement, the JKSA said the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians is an affront to humanity itself. “No cause, no ideology can ever justify such barbarity. ... Terror has no religion, no justification—it must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and countered with unity, resolve, and justice. This tragedy has shaken us all, and we, too, mourn this heartbreaking loss,” JKSA national president Ummar Jamal said.

National convener of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, appealed to students not to go out unless necessary, avoid public gatherings, and stay alert. “We appeal to all Kashmiri students to maintain calm, not indulge in political debates or provocative social media activity, and to avoid venturing out unnecessarily,” he said.

“The current situation is volatile and may escalate, posing a serious risk to your safety,” he said.

To ensure immediate assistance and support for students from Kashmir in distress, the association has issued a set of helpline numbers including 9149676014, 7006922829, 8825005327, 9906299199, 9602689622, 6006169477, 8082602445, 9149500623, 6006333584, 7028642004.

Jamal said the Association has established a dedicated response team to provide prompt assistance and coordinate with local authorities whenever necessary.

A gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tangmarg area of Kulgam district following information about the presence of ultras there. An encounter broke out after the terrorists opened fire on the security personnel, they said.

No casualties have been reported in the exchange of fire so far, the officials said adding further details were awaited.

Earlier on Wednesday, two terrorists were killed as an infiltration bid was foiled along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The security forces are on high alert after Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam.

People responsible for the “cowardly terrorist attack” on innocent citizens in Pahalgam will soon get a “strong response” to their nefarious acts on Indian soil, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, in the first clear indication of India’s possible response to the massacre.

Singh, while vowing a befitting reply, also said India will not only hunt down the people who perpetrated the attack but will also trace those “sitting behind the scenes” who had conspired to carry out the deadly act on the Indian soil.

The defence minister’s remarks came while delivering the annual Arjan Singh Memorial lecture. Hours before the address, Singh reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting that was attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

“Yesterday, in Pahalgam, our country lost many innocent citizens in a cowardly attack by terrorists targeting religion. This extremely inhuman act has plunged all of us into deep grief and pain,” the defence minister said.

“From this platform, I assure the countrymen that in view of the incident, the government of India will take every step that is necessary and appropriate. And we will not only trace those who perpetrated this incident. We will also reach out to those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to carry out the nefarious act on the soil of India,” Singh said.

The defence minister said, “India is such an old civilization and such a big country that it cannot be intimidated by any such terrorist activities. The people responsible for such acts will get a strong response in the near future.”

In the context of cross-border terrorist incidents, Singh said: “History is witness to the withering away of nations not due to the action of the adversary, but due to the result of their own misdeeds. I hope people across the border look at lessons of history more closely.”

Singh described the attack in Pahalgam as “extremely inhuman” that has “left all of us in deep grief and pain”.

“First of all, I express my deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones. In this sad time, I pray to God for the peace of the departed souls… I would like to reiterate India’s firm resolve that we have a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. Every citizen of India is united against this cowardly act,” he said.

The high-level meeting chaired by Singh discussed all possible aspects of the situation that emerged in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror attack, the sources said, declining to share further details.

It is learnt that Singh directed the armed forces to enhance their combat readiness and increase the intensity of anti-terror operations. In the meeting, Army Chief Gen Dwivedi presented a detailed overview of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir including deployment of his forces.

A 30-year-old ‘pony-wallah’ was among the 26 people who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah turned up to offer fatiha to him and hailed his courage to stand up against the armed assailants.

Syed Adil Hussain Shah, was laid to rest at the ancestral graveyard at his Hapatnard village in Pahalgam with hundreds of mourners bidding him a tearful adieu and saluting his sacrifice.

“I visited Pahalgam today to offer ‘fatiha’ (prayer after burial) for brave-heart Shah, who was shot dead while trying to snatch a weapon from one of the terrorists in a courageous attempt to protect the tourists he had ferried on horseback from the parking area to Baisaran meadow.

“Met his grieving family and assured them of full support — Adil (Shah) was the sole breadwinner, and his extraordinary bravery and sacrifice will forever be remembered,” the chief minister wrote in a post shared by his office on X.

After offering prayers to the deceased, Abdullah, talking to reporters, expressed his condolences to all the victims and condemned the incident.

“The tourists had come to have a good time here and they were sent back in coffins. A poor labourer had left home to earn but died. I have heard that he tried to confront the militants and tried to snatch the gun before getting attacked,” he said.

He assured the family of the deceased that his government would take care of them. “We are with them and will help them as much as we can.”

Earlier, Ghulam Hassan, who led the funeral prayers of Shah, lauded the sacrifice of the youth. “We should always be ready to die for others, whether a Sikh, Pandit or a Muslim. That is what our religion teaches us,” he said.

Condemning the cowardly attack on the tourists, he said the women who were wailing at Baisaran, the scene of the attack, are “our sisters and our hearts are feeling their pain”.

“We salute our brother who sacrificed his life trying to save the tourists. He will be rewarded by Allah for his deeds. I pray nobody sees their loved ones die like this,” he said in his sermon before the burial.

Syed Naushad, younger brother of Shah, said he had gone to Pahalgam for work.

“He used to take tourists on pony rides to Baisaran. On Tuesday when terrorists attacked tourists, my brother tried to stop them. A tourist whose father was killed in the attack told me about the heroic act of my brother at SMHS hospital,” he said, adding the terrorists hit Shah thrice with bullets in the chest.

He termed the sacrifice of his brother as a “proud moment” for the family and friends but said “there is also sadness everywhere.” Shah’s sister Asma said they came to know about his killing at around 10 pm on Tuesday.

“In the morning, I told him not to go as if I knew something bad was going to happen. But he did not listen to me and left,” she said, describing his brother as a daring man always ready to support others.

Shah’s father, Syed Haider Shah, said he was devastated by his son’s killing.

“He was the youngest and the kindest among all the siblings. He left at 8 in the morning and did not come back. Many boys from this village go to Pahalgam to find some work but who knew this was going to happen! The terrorists killed my son only because he confronted them and told them not to harm tourists,” the grieving father said.

He said there was no mobile connectivity in Baisaran. “When he did not return in the evening, we started calling him but nobody picked up the phone.”

The Cabinet Committee on Security met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Besides the prime minister, the Cabinet Committee on Security comprises Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Sitharaman is on her way back from the United States after she cut short her official visit.

Prime Minister Modi returned early Wednesday from Saudi Arabia. He held a meeting at the airport soon after his arrival where he discussed the J-K terror attack with Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry was also part of the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah visited Baisaran in Pahalgam, the site where terrorists struck on Tuesday evening, as well as the hospital where some of the injured were being treated.