Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with national security advisor Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar at Delhi airport, Union home minister Amit Shah was in Srinagar and a National Investigation Agency team was sent to Pahalgam Wednesday, the morning after terrorists gunned down at least 26 people, mostly tourists, at a south Kashmir meadow.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri was also part of the meeting that PM Modi held at the airport, officials said.
Modi was briefed by the officials immediately upon his return amid the nationwide shock and outrage over the most gruesome attack targeting tourists in the Kashmir Valley in a long spell of time.
The victims included two foreigners, from the UAE and Nepal, and two locals, PTI quoted officials as saying.
Modi cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia to return on Wednesday morning, while home minister Shah rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday evening to spearhead the security measures.
The prime minister has vowed that those behind the attack will not be spared and brought to justice.
In Srinagar, Shah laid wreaths on the bodies of 26 victims at the Police Control Room and assured the survivors that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and chief minister Omar Abdullah also paid their tributes to the victims, the officials said.
Shah interacted with families of the victims and other survivors.
Shah arrived within hours of the attack and was briefed about the situation by director general of police Nalin Prabhat.
The home minister also chaired a security review meeting, which the lieutenant governor also attended.
"We have received 26 bodies which were brought to the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar in the wee hours [of Wednesday]. The bodies will be moved to the police control room (PCR)," an official was quoted by PTI as saying earlier.
Investigation team
A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) led by an inspector general has been sent to terror-hit Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, PTI reported Wednesday.
The team was en route to Pahalgam where it would help the local police probing the attack.
The terrorists opened fire at tourists who were milling around eateries, taking pony rides or just picnicking at the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, touted as a 'Mini Switzerland' for its serene beauty.
Also on Wednesday, two terrorists were killed as an infiltration bid was foiled along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, officials said.
The Indian Army said the infiltration bid was foiled in Uri Nala of the north Kashmir district.
Large quantity of weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores have been recovered from the terrorists, the army said, adding that the operation was still in progress.
Shah visits scene of terror attack in Pahalgam
Amit Shah on Wednesday visited Baisaran meadows, the scene of gruesome killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir a day earlier, officials said.
After attending a wreath laying ceremony for the victims of the terror attack at the Police Control Room here, Shah flew in a chopper to Baisaran meadows, around 110 kilometres from here, the officials said.
They said Shah was briefed by the security officials about the incident.
