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 5:24 AM GMT
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This is a national issue, every party with an MP must be invited: Owaisi on all-party meet
Regarding the Pahalgam All Party Meeting, I spoke to @KirenRijiju last night. He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long.” When I asked “What about us, the smaller…
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 24, 2025 - 24 April 2025 5:05 AM GMT
IB officer killed in Pahalgam wanted to take parents to Vaishno Devi
Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Manish Ranjan, who was killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, had planned to take his parents to the Vaishno Devi shrine after returning from this vacation, one of his friends recounted.
Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, who was at the Ranchi airport on Thursday morning to receive Ranjan's mortal remains, said he was a meritorious student.
"His father recently retired as the headmaster of the Hindi High School in Jhalda. Ranjan had planned to take his parents to Vaishno Devi after this vacation," he said.
Ranjan, a section officer with the IB posted in Hyderabad, was among the 26 people killed in the terror attack on Tuesday.
"We had never thought such a gruesome incident would take place. People say terrorists have no religion, but innocent people were brutally killed because of their religion," said another friend, Aditya Sharma, who also came to the Ranchi airport to take his mortal remains to his native place in Jhalda in West Bengal's Purulia district.
Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi was among the leaders and administrative officers who paid homage to Ranjan at the airport.
Marandi said the way innocent people were killed on the basis of their religion is not pardonable.
"The perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice by the government. The masterminds of the attack will also not be spared," he said.
- 24 April 2025 4:52 AM GMT
Pakistan to carry out missile test off Karachi coast: Sources
Pakistan has issued a notification to carry out a surface-to-surface missile test off its Karachi coast along its coastline within its Exclusive Economic Zone on April 24-25. Indian agencies concerned are keeping a close watch on all the developments: Defence sources
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Odisha CM announces Rs 20 lakh for family of tourist killed in attack, job for wife
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced Rs 20 lakh financial assistance for the family of Prashant Satpathy, who was killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Majhi made the announcement after paying floral tributes to the mortal remains of Satpathy at his house in Ishani village in the Remuna block of Balasore district.
He also announced that the state government would provide a job for Satpathy's wife Priyadarshani Achariya, and take care of the education of their nine-year-old son Tanuj.
"I strongly condemn the incident, and the state government solidly stands with the family of Prashant Satpathy at this hour of crisis. The state will provide financial assistance of Rs 20 lakhs, a job for his wife and take care of his son's education," the CM told reporters.
Majhi also expressed concern over the health of Priyadarshani, who fainted while talking to him.
