Pahalgam attack: Won't allow single drop of water to flow into Pak: Centre
The government plans to strengthen existing dams and build infrastructure to better manage India’s own water needs, especially in border states like Punjab and J&K
India on Thursday (April 25) informed Pakistan of its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance with immediate effect, saying Pakistan has breached conditions of the treaty. The letter came in response to the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists were killed by terrorists.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to discuss the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack on tourists. Rahul, who earlier interacted with the injured tourists at the Army hospital in Srinagar, met Abdullah at his residence, officials said.
In Delhi, popular shopping hubs like Connaught Place, Sadar Bazar and Chandni Chowk were among the more than 900 markets that wore a deserted look on Friday as traders observed a 'Delhi Bandh' to protest against the Pahalgam terror attack.
Various merchant associations from sectors such as textiles, spices, utensils, and bullion also kept their shutters down.
Water treaty
Sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting Jammu and Kashmir impedes India's rights under the Indus Waters Treaty, India's Secretary of Water Resources Debashree Mukherjee said in a letter addressed to her Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza.
"The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," the letter read. "The resulting security uncertainties have directly impeded India's full utilisation of its rights under the treaty," the letter said.
On Thursday, the Centre also convened an all-party meeting where it briefed leaders about the attack and heard their views.
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- 25 April 2025 1:03 PM GMT
Pakistanis not allowed : Indore food street shopkeepers' poster
Shopkeepers at the famous `56 Dukan' food street in Indore city have put up a poster against Pakistan to protest the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22.
"Pigs & Pakistani citizens are not allowed at Chappan Dukan," read the message in English on the poster.
It also featured a photo of a uniformed Pakistani army officer with a pig's mouth superimposed on the face.
The poster caught attention of foodies visiting the street, and some were seen taking selfies with it.
Gunjan Sharma, president of the 56 Dukan Vyapari Sangh, told PTI on Friday, "We want to send a message through this poster that after the Pahalgam terror attack, there is no place left for Pakistan in the civilized society of the world." The terrorists killed innocent people on the basis of their religion which has shamed humanity, he said, adding, "every Indian is angry over this cowardly act.
At least 26 people were killed and many others injured in the terrorist attack on Tuesday in Baisaran, a major tourist spot in Pahalgam in south Kashmir. Sushil Nathaniel (58) of Indore was among the victims.
- 25 April 2025 1:00 PM GMT
Pahalgam attack : 1984 Sikh riots case petitioner writes to PM Modi
One of the petitioners in 1984 anti-Sikh riots related cases on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging for decisive action against those who instigate violence and division.
Advocate Gurlad Singh Kehlon's letter stresses upon the importance of safeguarding national security and promoting societal harmony, saying the "brutal killings have unleashed a wave of grief and outrage, highlighting the fragility of life and the persistent threats to peaceful coexistence".
The Pahalgam massacre, he said, raises serious concerns about potential external and internal influences, accusing them of inciting violence.
He argued the remarks which appear to justify attacks on Hindus and Sikhs aligned "disturbingly with narratives propagated by external forces like Pakistan's ISI and Army".
These actions foster an environment of fear and hostility, turning innocent civilians into targets of terror, the letter said.
"I urge the Prime Minister to take decisive action against those who instigate violence and division safeguarding national security and promoting societal harmony is of utmost importance," he said.
The lawyer called for a "united effort to counter external influences" to ensure justice and protection for all communities.
"I appeal for steadfast action to secure peace and justice, to create an India that stands as a beacon of love, unity, and resilience against hatred and tyranny," he said
- 25 April 2025 12:49 PM GMT
Pahalgam terror attack : Old Delhi residents hit the streets in protest
Tricolour fluttered down the Jama Masjid's iconic steps and along the street below to announce a Hindu-Muslim unity on Friday, as tributes poured in for Pahalgam victims across Delhi's mosques in namaz.
At the Parliament Street Mosque near the Central Secretariat, Imam Mohibbullah Nadvi addressed a prayer. "Anyone who kills an innocent, also kills humanity," he said.
"The moment someone even thinks of harming an innocent, they lose the right to be called a Muslim," Nadvi opined.
Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Old Delhi, Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, said a "dua" was offered during the Friday Namaz for the terror attack victims. "We prayed to god to stop the killing of innocent people." People streamed out of Jama Masjid after the morning prayer to gather for a protest against the attack.
Many carried India's flags, while others placards that read: 'Aatankwad Murdabad, Insaniyat Zindabad,' 'All Eyes on Pahalgam,' and 'ghar ghar se niklegi awaaz, atankwad ka hoga vinaash.' "Terrorism has no religion. We stand against it and not as Muslims or Hindus, but as Indians," said a protester.
- 25 April 2025 12:42 PM GMT
Pahalgam attack : Houses of two LeT terrorists destroyed in blast said officials
The house of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) terrorists, including the prime suspect of the Pahalgam terror attack, were destroyed when explosives believed to be stored there went off, officials said on Friday.
The incidents took place during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, when the residences of Aadil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were being searched by security forces at Guree village in Bijbehara and Tral respectively in south Kashmir, the officials said.
Explosives were believed to have been found at the premises during the search operation, prompting the security forces to evacuate the occupants of the houses as well as neighbours to safety, the officials claimed.
Both the houses were damaged in the explosions, leading to their destruction, the officials said.
Thokar, a resident of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, is one of the key accused in Tuesday's Pahalgam massacre, while Sheikh, a resident of Tral in Pulwama district, is suspected to be involved in the conspiracy of the attack.
The family members of both men have claimed that they are not aware of the whereabouts of Thokar and Sheikh.
- 25 April 2025 12:35 PM GMT
List of Pakistan nationals in Maharashtra ready : CM Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said on Friday that list of all Pakistani nationals present in the state is ready.
" We are monitoring them. All police stations have been asked to ensure that Pakistani nationals leave the country within the stipulated time. If there is delay and overstay, necessary action will be taken against the concerned persons. Under no circumstances the Pakistani nationals whose visas have been cancelled will stay back in Maharashtra ," he said.
He also said that police stations in the state have been asked to ensure that Pakistani nationals do not stay on in the country with their visas cancelled. Fadnavis told reporters that the visas of Pakistani citizens have been cancelled and they have been asked to leave the country in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He has spoken to Union home minister Amit Shah over the issue, the chief minister added.
The BJP leader also took a swipe at the Shiv Sena (UBT) for not attending the all-party meeting called by the Union government to discuss the April 22 attack in which 26 persons, including six from Maharashtra, were killed.
"Our history is that no politics happens on the issues of national interest. But people in Shiv Sena (UBT) have forgotten the history and are making foolish statements, " he said.
Asked about MP Naresh Mhaske's, a leader of the ruling ally Shiv Sena who sparked a controversy saying the government brought back by special flights those who had never traveled by air in their lives, Fadnavis said the comments were inappropriate.
- 25 April 2025 12:29 PM GMT
Allow my children's treatment to complete : Pakistan man appeals to two countries
The Pahalgam terror attack has shaken the lives of many in India. But lives have been impacted on the other side of the Wagah border also. A Pakistani man in India for a life-saving medical procedure for his two children has appealed to the two governments to allow their treatment to be completed before they are compelled to return home.
The family from Hyderabad in Sindh province is among the several from India and Pakistan forced to cut short their visits after New Delhi and Islamabad cancelled SAARC visa privileges following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Over 100 Indian citizens in Pakistan left for their homeland on Thursday, officials said in Lahore, adding, more will be crossing on Friday.
The father of the two Pakistani children told Geo News on telephone that his two children, aged 9 and 7, have had a heart disease since birth. The channel did not identify either the father.
“They have a heart condition and their treatment was possible in New Delhi because of the advanced medical treatment here. But after the Pahalgam incident, we have been told to return to Pakistan immediately,” he said, adding, their surgery is scheduled for next week.
The hospital and doctors are cooperating with them but they were being pressured by the police and foreign office to leave from Delhi immediately.
