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.
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Live Updates
- 30 April 2025 8:47 PM IST
Pahalgam attack: PM must not delay in taking action says Rahul
Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must not delay in taking action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack adding that they must pay price for what they have done.
Speaking to reporters at the AICC headquarters, Rahul said those behind Pahalgam attack must pay the price and be made to realise they cannot do this to India.
He said the government has opposition's 100 per cent support and Modi has to take action.
"The prime minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong. The prime minister must not dilly dally and needs to act. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary," Gandhi said.
The Congress MP also said he met the family of a victim of the Pahalgam attack in Kanpur and they want they should be given a martyr status.
- 30 April 2025 8:10 PM IST
Two Pakistani nationals stranded in Telangana jail as the country refuses to accept them
Two Pakistani nationals, who completed their prison terms, are under detention in Telangana jails for several years pending their deportation, as the neighbouring country has refused to accept them as citizens, officials said on Wednesday.
Sher Ali Keshwani, 72, has been under detention in Cherlapally Central Prison since 2015 after his acquittal in an espionage case in Hyderabad.
Although he was convicted in another case in Uttar Pradesh and completed his sentence in 2014, he was brought to Hyderabad from Agra prison by local police.
Similarly, another Pakistani national, Mohd Nazeer, in his mid-50s, who also completed his sentence, has been under detention in Chanchalguda Central Prison since 2018. Nazeer, who entered India via Nepal, was remanded in December 2013 and sentenced to five years by a local court on charges of fraudulently practising traditional medicine in Hyderabad.
He completed his sentence in December 2018.
To facilitate the deportation of the two Pakistani nationals, Telangana prison authorities arranged consular access through the Pakistan Embassy, but it has not recognised them as its citizens, the officials said.
"Their sentences are actually over. They were sent to Tihar Jail (Delhi) for consular access, but Pakistan is not admitting them as their citizens. As per the state government's order, they will remain under detention until their deportation," a senior Telangana Prisons official told PTI.
According to regulations, once a foreign national's sentence is completed, they must be deported to their native country after being handed over to the respective embassy, officials said.
"However, the issue with these two (Pakistani) prisoners has been ongoing for years. Pakistan is not accepting them as nationals, so they remain in detention in state jails," another Telangana Prisons department official said.
Since Telangana lacks detention centers, the state government has ordered that they remain in jail until their deportation, the official added.
- 30 April 2025 7:55 PM IST
US ambassador meets Pak Deputy PM as tension with India rises
US ambassador meets Pak Deputy PMAmid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker on Wednesday met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions.
According to the Foreign Office, US Chargé d’Affaires Baker and Dar exchanged views on recent regional developments.
“The US Chargé d’Affaires conveyed the US desire for de-escalation and that it will stay engaged with both countries on the evolving situation,” the Foreign Office said.
It added that Dar reaffirmed “Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while safeguarding national interests”.
The meeting comes as the United States stepped in diplomatically to defuse the tension, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to speak with the foreign ministers of both nations to encourage restraint and prevent further escalation.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Washington is urging both sides to de-escalate.
“We are reaching out to both parties and, of course, telling them to not escalate the situation,” Tammy Bruce told reporters.
“Secretary Rubio believes diplomacy must take the lead,” Bruce said, noting that the Secretary has also encouraged other national leaders and foreign ministers “to reach out to the countries on this issue”.
- 30 April 2025 7:27 PM IST
Pahalgam attack : Pakistan Stock Exchange tumbles by over 3,500 points
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) nosedived by over 3,500 points on Wednesday as uncertainty took hold due to increasing risk of a showdown with India.
Information Minister Atta Tarar said that India was planning military action against Pakistan in 26 to 36 hours, spreading panic in the market.
The market maintained a downward trend throughout the day and finally the index closed at 111,326.57, down by 3,545.61 or 3.09 per cent, from the last close of 114,872.18, according to the data provided by the PSX.
Analysts attributed the plunge to the uncertain security situation after the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22 that killed at least 26 people.
The Dawn newspaper reported that Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities, attributed the decline to “news of a likely attack in the next few days”.
Awais Ashraf, director research at AKD Securities, said, “Investors are worried about potential Indian military action against Pakistan, concerns that have intensified following the information minister’s press briefing.” Yousuf M Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities, echoed the same sentiments. He said that the market was under pressure following the information minister’s “statement last night suggesting that India may take military action within the next 24–36 hours”.
“The market in the short term will most likely follow news flows of Pakistan-India tensions,” he added.
- 30 April 2025 7:20 PM IST
Pahalgam attack: SC to hear PIL seeking judicial commission
The Supreme Court will hear a PIL seeking constitution of a judicial commission over the Pahaalgam teror attack which left 26 people, mostly tourists dead on Thursday (May 1). The petitioners also seeks directions to the Centre and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the protection of other tourists in Kashmir.
The plea has been filed by Mohammad Junaid, a resident of Kashmir along with Fatesh Kumar Sahu and Vicky Kumar. The case is listed before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh.
- 30 April 2025 6:51 PM IST
9 siblings including J&K cop shifted to Punjab for deportation to Pakistan despite court order
A police personnel and his eight siblings, including five sisters, were shifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab for their deportation to Pakistan on Wednesday, despite the high court admitting their plea against the step and granting them temporary relief.
The nine members of the extended family were among the more than two dozen people, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were served deportation notices by authorities in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts.
In the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead, the Centre announced a slew of measures, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Islamabad and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27 or face action.
The Pakistani nationals, many of whom were living in the Jammu region for decades, were taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to Pakistani authorities on Wednesday.
The police personnel, Ifthkar Ali (45), and his eight siblings including five sisters aged between 42 and 56 years got a respite when the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh admitted their petition claiming that they are not Pakistani nationals and have been living in Salwah village for generations.
"(The) petitioners be not asked or forced to leave the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side," Justice Rahul Bharti said in an order after hearing the plea of Ali, who has served in the police department for the last 27 years and is currently posted at the Katra base camp of the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Admitting their petition, supported by revenue records to prima facie establish that they are bona fide residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, the judge asked government lawyers to submit a detailed report within two weeks and listed the case for the next hearing on May 20.
- 30 April 2025 6:00 PM IST
Every Assam citizen will stand with PM in the event of a war with Pakistan: CM Himanta
Amid rising tensions between the rtwo nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday that every citizen of the state would stand firmly behind the country’s armed forces in the event of a war with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
He said the next couple of months would be critical for the country, and the people of this northeastern state would offer help in every way possible.
"We all know how Pakistani terrorists killed innocent people at Pahalgam last week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the terrorists will be pursued to the ends of the world, and our armed forces will serve them justice," Sarma said, addressing a panchayat election rally in Goalpara.
"We don’t know whether there will be a war between Bharat and Pakistan, but if there is one, each person of Assam will stand with our armed forces and with Prime Minister Modi," he affirmed.
Sarma maintained that the next one or two months will be a ‘testing time’ for the country and said, "We have to put the ‘vijay tilak’ (sign of victory) on Bharat Mata’s forehead. During elections, we may support one party or the other, but when it comes to war, we are all Indians first. We have to pray and help in every way possible." The CM further said peace and harmony among all communities have been ensured under the BJP-led state government.
