Pahalgam terror attack LIVE | Rahul to meet the injured in Anantnag tomorrow
Pak says attempt to divert water under Indus Waters Treaty will be considered Act of War; announces suspension of trade, bilateral accords, airspaces with India
The Centre convened an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack on Thursday (April 24) evening, where it briefed the leaders of various political parties on the attack and heard their views.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Bihar addressing pre-election rallies, did not attend the meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affair Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Jaishankar and Shah met President Droupadi Murmu during the day.
Pakistan's counter-measures
Across the border, Pakistan said any move to divert water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty would be considered an Act of War as it announced the suspension of trade, bilateral accords, including the Simla Agreement, and airspaces with India. These were among other moves in retaliation to New Delhi's measures against the country in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
The announcements were made after a meeting chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to formulate the country's response to India's move to suspend the Indus Water Treaty and downgrade diplomatic ties after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Modi’s tough talk
In his first statement since the April 22 carnage, Modi, speaking from Bihar, sent a stern warning to the perpetrators of the attack and asserted that India would identify, track and punish every terrorist involved in the incident and their backers “beyond their imagination”.
“This attack was not merely on unarmed tourists; the country’s enemies have dared to attack the soul of Bharat (India),” he said. “Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is served. The entire nation stands firm in this resolve.”
We “will pursue them (Pahalgam attackers) to the end of earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,” Modi chose to state in English. Before starting his speech, Modi, along with the public, observed a minute of silence to pay homage to the 26 Pahalgam victims.
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- 24 April 2025 7:07 AM GMT
Chhattisgarh CM attends victim's funeral, says Pak will be taught a lesson
Pakistan will have to pay the price for the Pahalgam terror attack, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Thursday as he attended the funeral of a Raipur-based businessman killed in the tragedy.
Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma lent their shoulders to the mortal remains of Dinesh Mirania, who was shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam in south Kashmir when he was celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife and two children on Tuesday.
A large number of people followed the funeral cortege of the businessman from his home in Samta Colony to the crematorium in Purani Basti while chanting patriotic as well as anti-Pakistan slogans.
Mirania's 18-year-old son Shaurya lit the funeral pyre.
Chief Minister Sai, Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, Finance Minister OP Choudhary, state BJP chief Kiran Singh Deo, former Congress MLA Kuldeep Juneja, other politicians, senior administration and police officials and people from different walks of life bid an emotional farewell to him.
Sai, who was on a two-day trip to Mumbai to attend events related to textile and steel sectors and meet industry leaders, cut short his tour and reached Raipur to attend the final rites of the terror attack victim in the morning.
Paying tribute to Mirania, Sai said his "sacrifice will not go in vain and Pakistan has to pay the price for the (terror) act".
He also said a road or a square in Raipur will be named after Mirania.
"Terrorists have committed a cowardly act in Kashmir and shot unarmed people. We strongly condemn their cowardly act," he said.
"Chhattisgarh has also lost a son. Dinesh is no more among us. Today, we all have gathered to bid him a final farewell. We pay our humble tribute to him. His sacrifice will not go in vain," Sai said.
Pakistan will have to "bear the brunt" of this (terror) act. India has always given a "befitting reply" to Pakistan and the neighbouring country will be taught a lesson, he said.
"We will keep the memory of Dinesh ji alive. We will name a road or a square in Raipur after him, so that the coming generations will also remember him," the chief minister said.
Earlier in the morning, Chhattisgarh Governor Ramen Deka and assembly speaker Raman Singh paid tribute to Mirania at his house.
- 24 April 2025 6:23 AM GMT
First batch of 65 Maharashtra tourists stuck in J-K arrives in Mumbai
The first batch of 65 tourists from Maharashtra stranded in Jammu and Kashmir landed in Mumbai early on Thursday as part of the evacuation efforts launched by the Shiv Sena-led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Shinde went to Srinagar on Wednesday evening to expedite the process of bringing back tourists stuck in Jammu and Kashmir after 26 persons, including six from Maharashtra, were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on Tuesday.
"Following the dreadful terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the first special flight carrying 65 stranded Maharashtrian tourists arrived in Mumbai at 3:30 am IST on April 24 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport," a party functionary said.
"This is part of a coordinated evacuation effort launched by the Shiv Sena, under the leadership Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to ensure the safe and dignified return of every citizen," the functionary added.
Two more special flights carrying additional tourists will arrive in Mumbai later in the day.
"Our priority remains the safety, comfort and swift return of all affected individuals. The Shiv Sena reaffirms its commitment to stand with every Marathi Manoos in every moment of crisis," the functionary added.
The Shiv Sena had sent its delegation to coordinate the efforts to bring stranded tourists back to Mumbai.
- 24 April 2025 6:17 AM GMT
Congress holds emergency CWC meeting
Top Congress leaders on Thursday held an emergency meeting of the party's working committee to deliberate on the Pahalgam terror attack and are expected to pass a resolution condemning it.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here at the party's 24, Akbar Road office.
The meeting started with leaders paying homage to the victims of the attack by observing a moment of silence in their memory.
Rahul Gandhi had cut short his visit to the United States to attend the CWC meeting.
The Congress is expecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be chairing an all-party meeting on the attack later this evening, to take all political parties into confidence as well as build a collective resolve.
Earlier, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had spoken with Home Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior party leaders from the Union Territory to get an update on Tuesday's attack at the prime tourist location Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.
Kharge had termed the incident a direct assault on the Indian State and said the entire country stands by the Centre in its fight against terror.
He had urged the government to use all its strength to hunt down the terrorists and also suggested that an all-party meeting be called to address the challenge of terrorism in a spirit of consensus.
"We must give a fitting response, and in this matter, we are all one, and we will fight. But there should not be claims and finger-pointing. We urge the government to use all its strength to hunt down the terrorists," Kharge said.
- 24 April 2025 6:13 AM GMT
Terrorism breathing its last; nation must believe in PM Modi's leadership: Adityanath
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the Pahalgam terror attack was a "grotesque" act, and asserted that terrorists and those who patronised them would now have to face the repercussions of the zero-tolerance approach of the central government.
He also said that "terrorism is breathing its last" and that the nation must believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Speaking to journalists after meeting the kin of of 31-year-old Shubham Dwivedi, a Kanpur resident killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, he said targeting of innocent individuals based on their religious identity, especially in front of their families, is intolerable.
"To ask people their religion before killing them, turning women widows is unacceptable in India," he said.
Highlighting the Centre's response to the attack, including the decisions taken at the CCS meeting under PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Kashmir, he said, "The decisions taken at CCS meet would prove to be the last nail in the coffin for terrorism".
"In this hour of grief, the country must believe in PM Modi’s leadership," Adityanath reiterated.
- 24 April 2025 5:59 AM GMT
Army soldier killed in encounter in J-K's Udhampur
Congress leaders observed a moment of silence to pay tribute to those who were killed in the #PahalgamTerroristAttack, at the beginning of the CWC meeting in Delhi today.
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2025
(Pic source: AICC) pic.twitter.com/2Z2olJ86M9 - 24 April 2025 5:27 AM GMT
1 soldier killed in gunfight with militants in Udhampur
#OpBirliGali
— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) April 24, 2025
Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation with @JmuKmrPolice was launched today in #Basantgarh, #Udhampur.
Contact was established and a fierce firefight ensued.
One of our #Bravehearts sustained grievous injuries in the initial exchange and later succumbed… pic.twitter.com/eojsj5PPuU
