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 1:39 PM GMT
Resolution condemning Pahalgam attack passed at all-party meeting in Jammu and Kashmir
A resolution unequivocally condemning the "heinous and inhumane" attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam was passed at an all-party meeting convened by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday.
Reading out the resolution, Abdullah appealed to governments of other states and union territories to protect Kashmiris against any form of harassment in the wake of the Pahalgam killings.
"We, the participants of the All-Party Meeting of Jammu & Kashmir, deeply shocked and anguished by the recent barbaric attack in Pahalgam on 22nd April 2025 on innocent civilians, do hereby adopt this resolution in a spirit of collective solidarity," the chief minister said.
"We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms the heinous, inhumane attack in Pahalgam that targeted and killed innocent civilians.
"Such cowardly acts of brutality against peaceful citizens have no place in society and are a direct assault on the values of Kashmiriyat, and the idea of India which have long been a symbol of unity, peace, and harmony in the region," he added.
Abdullah said all parties of Jammu and Kashmir stand "unwavering in our commitment" to support all efforts in bringing these perpetrators to justice.
"In doing so, we affirm that no act of terror can ever weaken our resolve or extinguish our indomitable spirit. We also support the steps taken by the Union Government announced yesterday," he added.
The meeting extended "our deepest condolences" to the families who have suffered loss.
- 24 April 2025 1:31 PM GMT
Unanimous resolution passed at all party meeting: Awami Ittehad Party MLA Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | After attending the all-party meeting on #PehalgamTerroristAttack, Awami Ittehad Party MLA Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh says, "This was a significant meeting and we have unanimously passed a resolution...The central government took those steps which they… pic.twitter.com/EsaDWhSHdp
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2025 - 24 April 2025 1:29 PM GMT
Pahalgam terror attack: No time for domestic blame game : Shashi Tharoor
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said Islamist terrorists and their Pakistani handlers need to be destroyed and that "we must all support our government" in doing whatever it judges best to achieve this. He also said that this is not the time for a domestic blame game over the Pahalgam terror attack.
He also asserted that India's commitment to Kashmiri integration and communal harmony must not be diluted.Tharoor said the responsibility for the horrors endured this week lies more with those who planned and carried out the killings than those who failed to prevent them.
He made the remarks in a post on X as he could not return from Lakshadweep in time for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here.
He said he was adding his endorsement to the "strong and constructive" statement issued by the CWC.
Making four additional, inter-related points, Tharoor said the objectives of the Pahalgam attack are clear -- stop peace, derail "normalisation", destroy tourism, wreck the Kashmir economy to increase discontent there, add to the mistrust of Kashmiris, among other Indians, and increase communal polarisation in India.
"Only one set of people gains from all of these -- the malign forces in Pakistan. The blame lies squarely with those evil men who so recently articulated a bigoted view of the impossibility of good relations between Hindus and Muslims. We must not let them win," the former Union minister said.
- 24 April 2025 1:18 PM GMT
Strict action being taken against those trying to defend Pakistan : Assam CM Himanta
#WATCH | Guwahati, Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, "Strict action is being taken against all those who are trying to support or defend Pakistan directly or indirectly. One of our MLAs Aminul Islam from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) said some things yesterday… pic.twitter.com/iTC6c2XYbO
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2025 - 24 April 2025 1:12 PM GMT
Pahalgam terror attack: Government briefs Opposition at all party meeting
The Centre on Thursday briefed leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and heard their views at an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Apart from Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were present from the government's side.
Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were also present at the meeting chaired by Singh.
Earlier, the opposition had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi preside over the meeting. Modi on Thursday was in Darbhanga in Bihar, where he declared that the killers of Pahalgam will be pursued "to the ends of the Earth" and promised to "identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers".
The all-party meeting comes a day after the government announced a host of measures targeting Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, where terrorists killed at least 26 people, mostly tourists, on Tuesday.
- 24 April 2025 1:04 PM GMT
Pahalgam terror attack : Security tightened along Gujarat coast
Security along the Gujarat coast has been beefed up and local police have been put on "alert" mode in view of the terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town, government officials said on Thursday. Security has also been tightened at prominent religious sites in the state like Somnath Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple and Ambaji Temple, visited by thousands of devotees everyday, they said.
Ashok Kumar Yadav, Inspector General (Rajkot Range), said police have been put on "alert" mode along the coast because of Gujarat's proximity with Pakistan. The western state shares sea and land borders with the neighbouring country.
Among the 26 killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, three hailed from Gujarat.Of the five districts which fall under the Rajkot Range, three - Jamnagar, Morbi and Devbhumi Dwarka -- have a coastline.
"In view of the terrorist attack (in Pahalgam), security along the coast has been beefed up and additional police forces have been deployed in that region. Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) have started patrolling along the coast and also begun checking vehicles at transit points in these districts" Yadav told reporters in Rajkot.
