Pahalgam LIVE: Will hunt down every terrorist involved, says Amit Shah
Citing "cross-border linkages" to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, India has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (May 1) vowed to hunt down each and every terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack and said all of them will be made answerable for the heinous act.
Shah asserted that the Narendra Modi government will not spare any terrorist. "Whoever has carried out the dastardly attack in Pahalgam, we will not spare anyone. We will hunt down each and every perpetrator," he said at an event in Delhi to unveil a statue of Upendra Nath Brahma, the patriarch of Assam's Bodo community, and name a road after him.
The home minister said the Modi government has been pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against terrorists. "If someone thinks they will escape by carrying out such a cowardly attack, they are wrong. This is Narendra Modi's government. We will not spare anyone," he said.
7th incident in a row
Meanwhile, Pakistani troops continued ceasefire violations along the Line of Control for the seventh consecutive night by their unprovoked firing in several sectors across three border districts of Jammu and Kashmir, and the Indian military responded proportionately, officials said on Thursday (May 1).
The exchange of fire occurred even though the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan spoke over the hotline on Tuesday amid rising tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
“During the night of April 30-May 1, 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri, and Akhnoor in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir,” a Defence spokesperson in Jammu said.
Indian Army troops responded swiftly and proportionately, he added.
India closes airspace
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday closed its airspace for Pakistani airlines, a week after Islamabad took a similar step.
On April 24, Pakistan blocked its airspace for Indian airlines, closed the Wagah border crossing, suspended all trade with India, and stated that any attempt to divert water meant for Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an "act of war."
This came after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the killing of 26 people in the Pahalgam terror attack.
NSAB revamped
The Centre has also revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) — a move that came amid speculations about India's possible retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in view of its cross-border linkages.
It is learnt that former R&AW chief Alok Joshi has been appointed as NSAB chairman. The NSAB is an advisory body that provides inputs to the National Security Council Secretariat.
During a high-level meeting, which was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the chiefs of three services, Modi affirmed that it is the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, government sources said.
Read related stories from The Federal:
Who is LeT terrorist Hashim Musa, involved in Pahalgam attack?
Pahalgam: BJP’s war narrative risks democracy, warns veteran journalist Ashutosh
Onus of Pahalgam massacre is on Centre, but Omar will bear the brunt
Pahalgam revenge: Why India should not go for an Israel-like assault
Pahalgam attack: How wisdom, maturity beat communal polarisation in its aftermath
Can India really stop Indus water from flowing into Pakistan?
Pahalgam terror attack: Pak official makes throat-slitting gesture at Indian protesters
What's prime suspect Adil Thoker's student visa link to Pahalgam terror attack?
Follow live updates here
Live Updates
- 1 May 2025 2:18 PM IST
EAM Jaishankar speaks to South Korean counterpart
India on Thursday reached out to South Korea in line with its diplomatic offensive to apprise the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council about the Pahalgam terror attack and its cross-border linkages.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul and is understood to have conveyed India's policy of "zero tolerance" towards terrorist.
The external affairs minister has already spoken to his counterparts from eight other non-permanent member nations of the UN Security Council.
Jaishankar's phone conversations with foreign ministers of the non-permanent member nations of the UN Security Council assumes significance as Pakistan is also a member of the influential UN body for the 2025-26 period.
"Spoke with @FMChoTaeyul of South Korea this morning. Thanked him for RoK's support and solidarity in light of Pahalgam terror attack. Underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations," the external affairs minister said on 'X'.
The UN Security Council comprises 15 members, including the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US. It also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
In the last few days, India reached out to various world capitals apprising the nations about the "cross border" links to the terror attack.
- 1 May 2025 1:03 PM IST
Pahalgam terrorists staying in hiding in Kashmir: NIA sources
National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources said there are strong indications that the terrorists responsible for the attack in Pahalgam on April 22 remain hidden in south Kashmir.
The terrorists are believed to be highly self-reliant, carrying food supplies and other essential commodities with them to be able to survive in the forested terrain without logistical support from others.
- 1 May 2025 11:38 AM IST
Security beefed up around Hafiz Saeed’s residence in Lahore: Report
Pakistan is said to have beefed up security for Laskhar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed following the Pahalgam attack in which terrorists, believed to be from the outfit, gunned down 26 people.
According to India Today, tight security arrangements have been made around Saeed’s residence in Lahore’s Mohalla Johar Town following India’s warning of extreme measures to punish perpetrators of the terror attack.
The report says that Saeed’s security is being jointly overseen by the Pakistan Army, the ISI, and LeT operatives.
- 1 May 2025 10:27 AM IST
For the first time, PM Modi has taken strictest action against Pakistan: Eknath Shinde
#WATCH | #PahalgamTerroristAttack | Thane | Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde says, " For the first time, PM Modi has taken the strictest action against Pakistan...5 people were removed from High Commission, Indus water treaty was suspended...Attari Border was closed, Pakistani… pic.twitter.com/mcoOfWzpE6
— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2025 - 1 May 2025 10:24 AM IST
Set to be deported, Pak national dies of cardiac arrest in Amritsar
A 69-year-old Pakistani national, who was to be sent back to his nation, died of cardiac arrest in Amritsar on Wednesday, officials said.
Abdul Waheed was brought from Srinagar by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his repatriation to Pakistan.
He had been living in India for the last 17 years and was found with an expired visa by the police, they said.
Meanwhile, a total of 224 Indian nationals and Pakistani citizens who were holding No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visas crossed over to India through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari border. A total of 139 Pakistani nationals crossed over to the other side.
Monika Rajani, 35, a Pakistani passport holder having NORI and Long Term Visa (LTV), crossed over to India along with her five-year-old India-born daughter Saimara.
She said, "I have crossed over to India from Pakistan in a panic with the fear that ICP may be closed at any time. I belong to a Hindu family and married a Hindu man at Vijayawada around nine years back. My in-laws and husband from Vijayawada were waiting here to receive me." "I crossed over to India at 3 pm, where it took around three hours for customs and Immigration clearance. It was difficult for children travelling with their mothers to wait for all the necessary clearances due to the scorching heat," she said.
Before leaving for Vijayawada, my family members and I will visit the Golden Temple, she said.
- 1 May 2025 10:11 AM IST
Pakistani Hindu at Attari border: ‘We just want peace, citizens are suffering’
Suraj Kumar, a Pakistani Hindu returning via Attari Border, condemned the Pahalgam attack, called for dialogue between India and Pakistan, and highlighted the suffering of ordinary people.
Visiting India to meet family, Kumar expressed regret at not being able to take his mother to Haridwar. He said he belongs to a Hindu family from Balochistan.
- 1 May 2025 10:06 AM IST
India deploys jammers to disrupt Pak aircraft navigation: Sources
India has deployed advanced jamming systems along its western border to disrupt the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals used by Pakistani military aircraft, significantly undermining their navigation and strike capabilities, sources revealed.
This move follows India’s decision to close its airspace to all Pakistani-operated flights from April 30 to May 23.
The Indian jamming systems are capable of interfering with multiple satellite-based navigation platforms, including GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), and Beidou (China) - all of which are used by Pakistani military craft, sources further said.
The deployment aims to diminish Pakistan’s situational awareness, targeting precision, and the effectiveness of precision-guided munitions in the event of any conflict or cross-border incursion, the sources added.
The move comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the two nations following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
