Pahalgam attack: China backs Pakistan, calls for ‘impartial’ probe

BSF personnel check documents of Pakistani nationals arriving to cross over to their country as the deadline to exit India nears its end

Pahalgam attack: In the aftermath of the deadly attack in the Baisaran valley in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district, Pakistani nationals on short-term visas approach the end of the deadline to return home via the Attari-Wagah border today. The government has warned those who overstay that legal action will be taken against them.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh also met CDS General Anil Chauhan to discuss key decisions related to the attack and India's response to it.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) also took over the probe into the deadly attack in Baisaran near Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on the basis of orders received from the ministry of home affairs.

The loss of 26 civilian lives in the terror attack triggered massive escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi imposing stringent measures against Islamabad. The Indus Waters Treaty has been suspended, the check post at Attari border has been closed and all sorts of visas, except long-term, diplomatic and official visas, issued to Pakistani nationals have also been revoked.

Meanwhile, Pakistan responded by closing their airspace to any Indian airlines and suspending all trade. The country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that his armed forces are “prepared to defend the country's sovereignty” amid growing backlash over a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

PM Modi on Mann Ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his Mann Ki Baat radio show on Sunday, said that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam reflected the “frustration of those who patronise terrorism, it shows their cowardice”.

He said he felt a “deep agony” in his heart and added that he understands that every citizen of India is seething with anger because of the attack. PM Modi called on the people of the country to strengthen “our resolve to face the challenge” of terrorism.

Pahalgam terror attack | Key Updates

• On April 22, terrorists attacked on tourists in Baisaran meadow near Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, killing 26 men, mostly vacationers.
• Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif has said that Islamabad is ready for a 'neutral investigation' into the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
• Amidst the tense relations, Iran and Saudi Arabia have both offered to broker an understanding between the countries and restore relations.
• In the aftermath of the terror attack on Pahalgam, Anantnag police, in close collaboration with the Army, CRPF and other security forces, have launched extensive search and cordon operations across the district.
• Pakistan continued to violate the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, to which the Indian Army soldiers “responded effectively”. Pakistan Army posts opened unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite the Tutmari Gali and the Rampur sectors, officials said.