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 5:30 PM IST
Pahalgam attack: Congress stands with PM Modi says Digvijaya Singh
Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday asserted his party stands in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the government's fight against terrorism.
Talking to reporters here, he said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have come out on streets to denounce terrorism after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre.
The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh said, "The Congress has always fought against terrorism. Our two former prime ministers (Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi) were martyred fighting terrorism. The Congress has never compromised on the issue. We have extended full authority to Prime Minister Modi to do whatever is right for the country." Pakistan has been backing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, but the people of the Union Territory have firmly opposed it, he noted.
"The people of Kashmir -- Hindus and Muslims together -- have opposed terrorism by protesting on streets and raising slogans against terrorists. They raised the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' by holding the Indian flag, proving that 99 per cent of the people of J&K and Bharat are against terrorism," Singh maintained.
- 30 April 2025 5:27 PM IST
Some Opposition leaders influenced by "spirit of Jinnah": Mocks BJP MP
Lashing out at the Opposition over certain comments of their leaders in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma on Wednesday sarcastically said that some of them were being influenced by the "spirit of Jinnah". He further alleged that they were "seeking to become a hero in Pakistan" rather than standing with India.
His caustic remarks came in the wake of disparaging comments made by some Congress leaders that stirred the political pot and forced the opposition party to go into damage control, issuing a strict directive to its leaders to toe the party line on the April 22 tragedy.
The BJP seized the opportunity to attack the Congress, accusing it of speaking on behalf of terrorists and of being pro-Pakistan.
Asked to comment on certain Congress leaders' remarks that were seen to be out of line with the prevailing sentiments post-Pahalgam, Sharma said, "When someone becomes directionless, there are no words left to say." He said people have been responding to such postures by inflicting repeated electoral defeats. "The opposition has lost three consecutive elections. Why is it so desperate to become a hero of Pakistani media? It dreams of being Pakistan's hero rather than India's." The BJP MP went on to say that "some individuals are behaving irrationally as if they are influenced by Jinnah's ghost. But the people of India will teach them a lesson".
- 30 April 2025 5:18 PM IST
Pahalgam attack: Take right steps to protect country, Kharge tells M
Days after an intense social media backlash over the Congress' 'Gayab' jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said no attempt should be made to cause any damage to the dignity or image of anyone. He also urged the Prime Minister to take the right steps towards protecting the country at the earliest in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, by understanding the feelings of the country and utilising the authority given to him by political parties to conduct any operation in the current situation.
Asked whether Congress had to face embarrassment because of its 'Gayab' (missing) social media post against the prime minister, Kharge said, "I have not seen it, what can I say." "But, any person, whoever it is, whether prime minister or any person or leader, no attempt should be made to cause any damage to their dignity or image. Whoever does it, whether they (BJP) do it or our people (Congress), it is not right," he said. The image posted on 'X' by the Congress, without naming Modi, showed an old photo of him with his body missing, and his clothes forming the outline.
"All parties have to be together. A session should be called, and the prime minister should be there. What steps the PM has taken or is planning to. He need not reveal them because keeping such things secret operations have to be conducted. But, regarding the current situation and what is in his mind, he has to at least call a meeting of floor leaders during the session and speak to them," Kharge said to a question on demand for a special parliament session.
- 30 April 2025 4:47 PM IST
Pakistan's national carrier cancels all flight to PoK
Amid rising tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan's national carrier on Wednesday cancelled all flights to and from Gilgit, Skardu and other northern areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir due to security reasons, local media reports said.
Citing the flight schedule, Urdu daily Jang reported that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled two flights each from Karachi and Lahore to Skardu.
Two flights from Islamabad to Skardu and four flights from Islamabad to Gilgit have also been cancelled, the paper said, quoting aviation sources.
Pakistan has intensified monitoring of its airspace amid heightened security concerns over tensions with India, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.
"For security reasons, all commercial flights scheduled to operate to and from Gilgit and Skardu on Wednesday have been cancelled," the paper reported.
Officials said the measures are precautionary and aimed at ensuring national airspace security during the regional tension.
Pakistani authorities have also placed all airports under high alert, significantly ramping up security and surveillance protocols, the paper added.
- 30 April 2025 4:19 PM IST
786 Pakistani nationals leave India through Attari-Wagah border
In the last six days 786 Pakistani nationals, including 55 diplomats, their dependents and support staff, besides eight Indians with Pakistani visa, have left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing following a government order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Wednesday.
A total of 1,465 Indians, including 25 diplomats and officials, besides 151 Pakistani citizens with long-term Indian visas have crossed over to India from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab since April 24.
The 'Leave India' notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26.
For those carrying medical visas, the deadline was April 29.
The deadline for 12 other categories of visas was April 27. These were visas on arrival and visas for business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrims.
Three Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were declared Persona Non Grata on April 23 and they were given one week to leave India.
Five support staff of these defence attaches were also asked to leave India. India has also withdrawn its defence attache from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
However, those having long-term, diplomatic or official visas were exempted from the 'Leave-India' order.
- 30 April 2025 4:09 PM IST
India refutes social media posts over 'removal' of Army's Northern Commander
The Centre on Wednesday refuted claims made in posts by "several pro-Pakistan social media accounts" that Indian Army's Northern Commander Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar has been 'removed' from his post after the Pahalgam attack, and said the general officer is attaining superannuation on April 30.
"The claims being made in these posts are fake," Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check said in a post on X and also shared a collage of 'reports' shared by several such accounts, with the false claim.
"Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claim that Northern Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident. The claims being made in these posts are #fake . Lt. Gen MV Suchindra Kumar is attaining superannuation on April 30.Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be appointed as the new Northern Army Commander," PIB Fact Check posted on X.
There have been several misleading posts on social media amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. On April 22, terrorists shot dead 26 people, mostly tourists, at a meadow in Baisaran of south Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Lt Gen Kumar had assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Indian Army in February 2024.
"Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claim that Northern Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident #PIBFactCheck The claims being made in these posts are #fake," it wrote on the microblogging platform.
Lt Gen Kumar is attaining superannuation on April 30. And Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be appointed as the new Northern Army Commander, it said.
- 30 April 2025 3:58 PM IST
Video of mob forcing Aligarh schoolboy to urinate on Pak flag goes viral, 3 booked
A video circulating on social media purportedly showing a mob surrounding a schoolboy and coercing him into urinating on a Pakistani flag lying on a road here has prompted police to launch a probe and book three people, reported PTI.
The Aligarh district unit of the Samajwadi Party condemned the incident, which it saw as an attempt at inciting communal discord in the wake of last week's Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
In a police complaint, the 15-year-old student's family said he was returning home from the Government Inter College with friends on Monday afternoon when he noticed the flag lying on the ground.
Moments later, a mob accosted the boy, demanded to know his name, started abusing him and coerced him to urinate on the flag, it stated.
An FIR was registered late on Monday night at the Banna Devi police station and three accused, including one unnamed, were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A senior police officer said the matter was under investigation and asserted that strict action would be taken against those found guilty.
Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party district general secretary Manoj Yadav alleged that certain elements were trying to incite communal discord in the wake of the Pahalgam tragedy.
"It is a deeply disturbing video but the incident is not an isolated one. We have received reports of similar incidents of harassment from other parts of the city. The administration must act decisively to prevent any attempts to disrupt peace," he said.
- 30 April 2025 3:22 PM IST
Pahalgam attack | Stand by govt on combatting terror, war no solution: CPI MP Sandosh Kumar
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the response to the Pahalgam terror attack, CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said on Wednesday that he stands by the government in combating cross-border terror.
He, however, asserted that a war may not be a solution.
Asked about the prime minister's statement, Kumar said, "We stand with the government of India to combat cross-border terror. We have extended full support also and furthermore, we have demanded a special session of Parliament (to discuss the Pahalgam attack)." He said the terror attack should not be used to divide the society.
"But at the same time, this issue should not be misused to divide the society. There are a number of elements in our country that are trying to divide the society following this Pahalgam incident," the Communist Party of India (CPI) leader said.
