Pahalgam Live: India, Pak fighting over Kashmir for 1,000 years, will figure it out: Trump
Pak Army chief evokes two-nation theory, says Muslims are distinct from Hindus in all aspects of life — religion, customs, traditions, thinking and aspirations
The US President Donald Trump has said there have been “tensions on [the Kashmir] border for 1,500 years” and that India and Pakistan will “get it figured out one way or the other”.
“I’m sure… I know both leaders. There is great tension between Pakistan and India. But there always has been,” he said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, blowing hot and cold over the Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people on April 22, Pakistan has now offered to join any “neutral and transparent” probe into the massacre.
“The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt. Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at an event on Saturday (April 26).
Sharif threatens to ‘use all options’
Talking about the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty by India, Sharif said any attempt to stop, reduce, or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan would be responded to with full force and might.
Sharif threatened to use all options if the water of its share was stopped by India. “Water is our lifeline and a vital national interest, and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs and under all circumstances,” he said.
He said the entire nation stood by the armed forces of Pakistan to safeguard every inch of the homeland. “Our valiant armed forces are capable and remain fully prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure,” he said.
Firing along LOC
On the other hand, Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir on Saturday highlighted the “two-nation theory”, stating that Muslims and Hindus are two different nations.
“The two-nation theory was based on the fundamental belief that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations, not one. Muslims are distinct from Hindus in all aspects of life – religion, customs, traditions, thinking and aspirations,” Munir said.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistani military resorted to unprovoked firing all across the Line of Control and Indian troops effectively responded to them, military sources said.
The exchange of fire for a second consecutive night came amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Follow more live updates below:
Live Updates
- 26 April 2025 12:36 PM GMT
5,000 Pakistani nationals in Maharashtra, 1000 with short term visas asked to leave : Minister
Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Saturday said 5,000 Pakistani nationals are residing in the state, including 1000 on short term visas who have been asked to leave the country as per the Centre's directives.
Some are residing in India since the last 8-10 years, some are married and some are those who have surrendered their Pakistani passport and applied for Indian citizenship, he said.
"According to my estimate there could be 4,000 long term visas of which 1,000 are the SAARC visa, those who have come to the state for film work, medical ground, journalism, personal work," Kadam said.
The ones with short-term visas have been asked to leave by April 27, while those with medical visas have been given two more days to leave, Kadam said.
Following the horrific Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 persons were killed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27, while medical visas issued to them will be valid only till April 29.
- 26 April 2025 12:26 PM GMT
Pahalgam attack: Close to both India and Pakistan, says US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that India and Pakistan had shared tense relations for “1,500 years” and he is close to both countries. Speaking to reporters abroad the Air Force One, Trump claimed that the Kashmir issue had been dragging on for a “thousand years” and it could possibly be longer than that.
The US President’s contentious statements, although laced with factual inaccuracies, comes in the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam which left 26 people, mostly tourists dead.
- 26 April 2025 12:08 PM GMT
Pakistan army chief reiterates two-nation theory
Days after the Pahalgam terror attack which killed 26 tourists, Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir on Saturday once again highlighted the ‘two-nation theory’, stating that Muslims and Hindus are two different nations.
His remarks come amidst tension with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack on Tuesday which killed 26 people and prompted India to announce several measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty.
About a week back General Munir had described Kashmir as Pakistan's “jugular vein” during a diaspora event and asked overseas Pakistanis to pass on the country's story to their children, emphasising that their forefathers believed Hindus and Muslims were different in every possible aspect of life.
Addressing the passing out parade of cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, General Munir said the “two-nation theory was based on the fundamental belief that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations, not one. Muslims are distinct from Hindus in all aspects of life – religion, customs, traditions, thinking and aspirations.”
Unfazed by the unfolding security situation, General Munir said that Pakistan was achieved after many sacrifices and it was the duty of the armed forces to keep it safe. “Our forefathers made immense sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan. We know how to defend it.” Earlier on April 16, while addressing a Convention for Overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad, Munir claimed that Hindus and Muslims are different nations, and urged the audience to tell the story of creation of Pakistan to their children.
“You have to tell Pakistan's story to your children so that they don’t forget that our forefathers thought we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life,” he said, evoking the two-nation theory propagated by Pakistan's founder M A Jinnah.
“Our religions are different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different. That was the foundation of the two-nation theory that was laid there. We are two nations, we are not one nation,” he added.
- 26 April 2025 11:38 AM GMT
Pahagam attack: CM Mamata offers Rs 10 lakh each to three victims from West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the three persons from the state killed in the Pahalgam terror attack and to the next of kin of the Army havilder killed in Udhampur encounter.
She added that the state government would also offer a job to the wife of Havildar Jhantu Ali Shaikh from Tehatta in Nadia district.
Banerjee said the state government would provide Rs 10,000 pension to the father of Bitan Adhikari, one of the Pahalgam victims.
"A monthly pension of Rs 10,000 will be provided to Adhikari's father. The Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family will be divided equally, with Rs 5 lakh going to his wife and Rs 5 lakh to his parents," she said.
- 26 April 2025 10:54 AM GMT
Maharashtra : CM Devendra Fadnavis meets Pahalgam victim's family
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the family of Kaustubh Ganbote, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, in Pune on Saturday afternoon.
He spoke to Ganbote's kin at their house in Kondhwa.
Ganbote, who owned a 'farsan' (snacks) business, had gone to Kashmir along with his wife Sangita and the family of close friend Santosh Jagdale.
The CM is also scheduled to visit Jagdale's house to offer condolences to his family.
Jagdale and Ganbote were among the 26 persons who were gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
