Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has thundered out a warning to the terrorists, and their handlers, behind the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed, vowing direct retaliation and that declaring that India will identify and bring to justice all who conspired against it.
“Those responsible for such acts will receive a strong response in the near future,” he said.
“We will not only reach those who attacked us… we will also reach those who hid behind a curtain to carry out this conspiracy. Attackers and their masters will be targeted,” he said Wednesday, hours after meeting the Chief of Defence Staff and the three military chiefs.
“We stand united in the face of terror and India has a zero-tolerance policy (for terrorism). We will take each and every necessary and appropriate step,” the Defence Minister said. Click here for Kashmir terror attack updates
“India is an ancient nation and we will not be scared of terrorism,” he said.
The country, and indeed the world, has been left shocked by the horrific attack Tuesday evening, in which tourists and civilians, and a newly-wed Navy officer, were gunned down in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, a picturesque meadow with verdant forests and rolling green hills.
Disturbing videos from after the attack showed women, with blood splattered across their faces, crying after their husbands were shot dead in front of them. One woman, whose husband too was killed in front of her, was told by the sneering terrorist to “go tell (Prime Minister) Modi”.
The Resistance Front, a proxy of banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility. And security agencies have released a sketch of three of the terrorists.
Prime Minister Modi has condemned the attack and vowed to bring the guilty to book.
In an emotional post on X last night, Mr Modi said, “Those behind this heinous act will not be spared… their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable…”
Mr Modi, who was in Saudi Arabia when the attack happened, immediately spoke to and directed Home Minister Amit Shah to go to J&K and review the situation first-hand.
As he flew back from Riyadh, the PM’s plane took a more direct route to Delhi, avoiding Pak airspace. On his flight out to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, the plane flew over Pakistan.
The re-routing has been seen as a clear sign that India’s security agencies are aware of the threat emerging from Pakistan at this time and, for the safety of the Prime Minister and the delegation on board, decided it was prudent to alter the flight path on the way home.
Meanwhile, Mr Shah left Delhi late Tuesday and, this morning, visited Baisaran, the scene of the horrific attack. He vowed to ensure justice for the families of those killed and for those injured.
And a furious J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah called the terrorists “animals and inhuman”. He also said the attack was “much larger than anything directed at civilians in recent years”.
The Pahalgam attack is the worst in J&K since 2019, when 40 soldiers were killed in Pulwama.
