Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday strongly warned the terrorists and their handlers behind the deadly attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people lost their lives. He promised that India would identify and punish everyone involved in planning and carrying out the attack.
“We won’t just go after those who attacked us… we will also find those hiding behind the scenes who planned this conspiracy against India. Both the attackers and their masters will be targeted,” Singh said after meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff and the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
“India stands united against terrorism. We have a zero-tolerance policy and will take every necessary and appropriate step,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Minister was briefed about the security situation in Pahalgam and across Jammu and Kashmir by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi. He is expected to attend a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day. The CCS is India’s top decision-making group on national security matters.
The Pahalgam attack happened in the afternoon and was carried out by three terrorists. Among the 26 people killed were a newly-married Navy officer, tourists, and civilians. Two of the attackers are believed to be foreign nationals. All three are linked to The Resistance Front, a proxy group of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Sketches of the terrorists have been released, and a large-scale search operation is underway. Police, the military, and paramilitary forces are all involved in tracking down the attackers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Saudi Arabia at the time of the attack, cut short his official visit and returned to Delhi on Wednesday morning. He condemned the attack and said those responsible would be punished.
In a heartfelt message on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Modi wrote, “Those behind this heinous act will not be spared… their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable.”
Mr Modi also spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah immediately after the attack and asked him to visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the situation. Mr Shah flew to J&K late Tuesday and visited the site of the attack in Baisaran Valley on Wednesday morning. He assured justice for the victims and their families.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed his deep sorrow, calling the attack “cowardly and shameful” and saying it targeted innocent civilians.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, visibly angry, called the terrorists “animals and inhuman.” He said this was the worst attack on civilians in recent years.
The Pahalgam incident is the deadliest terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, when 40 soldiers died in a suicide bombing in Pulwama.
Heartbreaking videos taken after the attack showed people begging for help. In one video, a woman cried next to her injured husband, pleading, “Please save my husband. For God’s sake, save him.” Another woman, whose husband was killed in front of her, was told to “go tell Modi.”
Also Read: NIA joins probe as Shah reviews Pahalgam terror attack site
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