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 1:03 PM IST
Sharad Pawar backs Congress' demand for special Parliament session
Backing the Congress' demand for a a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, NCP (SP) chief on Wednesday said that such a session was necessary to send a message that the country is united.
Speaking to reporters, Pawar called the bloody massacre of tourists in the Kashmir Valley an attack on the country.
“The entire country is united on this issue. All parties and Parliament are united. A special session (on Pahalgam) would be useful to send this message to the world,” Pawar said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve.
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several were injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on April 22.
- 30 April 2025 12:33 PM IST
#WATCH | Raipur | On PM Modi's meeting with Defence Minister, NSA, CDS and three service chiefs, Chhattisgarh Dy CM Arun Sao says, "The people of the whole country are angry with the Pahalgam incident. People feel that Pakistan should be taught a tough lesson. Historic decisions… pic.twitter.com/b7FQG5ufbS
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2025 - 30 April 2025 12:31 PM IST
#WATCH | Attari, Punjab: Parween Akhtar, a Pakistani national returning to Pakistan via Attari Border, says, "It has been 40 years since I have been in India. I have three children, all of whom have studied here. What wrong have we done that we are given such a strict… pic.twitter.com/CZ4mxb8xAe
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2025 - 30 April 2025 11:57 AM IST
UN chief Guterres speaks to Jaishankar, Pakistan PM to defuse tension
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres spoke to India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday (April 29) in a bid to defuse tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack.
His calls were made amid claims by Pakistan that it has “credible intelligence” that suggest India plans to launch military action against it in the next 24-36 hours.
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident,” Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting Attaullah Tarar wrote on X.
In a call with Jaishankar, Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack. He noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for these attacks through lawful means, and also voiced deep concern at the rising tension between the two nations.
Guterres underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences.
- 30 April 2025 11:21 AM IST
Maharashtra man claims terror suspect spoke to him day before Pahalgam attack
A young man from Jalna city in Maharashtra, who recently returned from Kashmir, has claimed that one of the suspected attackers in the Pahalgam terror case spoke to him a day before the carnage.
“Hindu ho kya. You don’t look like you are from Kashmir,” said Adarsh Raut, recalling his interaction with a man at a food stall in the Baisaran Valley on April 21.
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several were injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on April 22.
Days after the massacre of tourists, security agencies released sketches of three suspected attackers, and one of them matched the person who had spoken to him, Raut told the media on Tuesday.
According to Raut, he had gone horse riding in Pahalgam on April 21 and had stopped at a “Maggi stall” for food when a man approached him and asked him if he was a Hindu. He also told Raut that he did not look like a Kashmiri.
“The suspect then turned to his companion and said, ‘There’s less crowd today,” said Raut.
The Jalna resident said he found the conversation a bit disturbing but did not grasp the full implication of it until the following day, when terrorists killed over two dozen tourists in cold blood in the same area.
“After I saw the sketches released by the NIA (National Investigation Agency), I connected the dots,” he claimed.
Raut said he has emailed the NIA a detailed account of his experience in Kashmir.
“I have written everything I could remember. I have also mentioned that I could not initially pay the Maggi stall owner due to network issues. I took his phone number and paid him once I came down from the hill,” he said.
Raut said he has not received any response from the NIA. “I’ll cooperate with them in every possible way if they reach out to me,” he added.
- 30 April 2025 10:25 AM IST
PM Modi to chair ‘Super Cabinet’ meeting today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Wednesday. Called the ‘super cabinet’, it is considered the most powerful among cabinet committees.
- 30 April 2025 10:22 AM IST
US urges de-escalation; Rubio to speak with India, Pak foreign ministers
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the US has called on both countries "not to escalate" the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will speak to their foreign ministers "as early as today or tomorrow".
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce at a press briefing on Tuesday said that Washington is reaching out to both India and Pakistan "regarding the Kashmir situation” and telling "them not to escalate the situation." Secretary of State Marco Rubio “expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow. He is encouraging other national leaders and foreign ministers to reach out to the countries on this issue,” Bruce said.
"So it is – again, as I’ve noted, every day action is being taken, in this case the Secretary speaking directly to his counterparts in India and Pakistan, and we’ll – we expect certainly the impact he’s usually had with the individuals he’s spoken with and certainly with President Trump’s leadership, India and Pakistan having those conversations. It’s very important for them,” Bruce said.
Responding to a question on Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s comments that Pakistan has "been doing this dirty work for United States”, Bruce added “the only thing I’m really prepared to discuss here is the fact that the Secretary of State is going to be speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries.” “What I can tell you – obviously, we’re also monitoring the developments across the board in that region, and we – as you know, at multiple levels, I have to say – are in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan, not just at the foreign minister level, certainly, but at multiple levels. We, of course, are encouraging all parties to work together for a responsible solution. The world is watching this. But I have no additional details in that regard.” On April 22, terrorists opened fire in Kashmir's Pahalgam, killing 26 people, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.
