Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairing a meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad. April 24, 2025.
New Delhi/Islamabad: After India’s punitive actions against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office stated, “Any attempt to stop Indus water would be seen as an act of war.” The attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen, as per the Ministry of External Affairs. Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines, causing service disruptions, as reported by IndiGo and Air India.
Anantnag Police today released sketches of three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists involved in the attack: Adil Hussain Thoker, a resident of Anantnag, and Pakistani nationals Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman. The police offered a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to their neutralisation, assuring secrecy of the informer’s identity, as per their official X handle.
— Anantnag Police( اننت ناگ پولیس) (@AnantnagPolice) April 24, 2025
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today chaired a National Security Committee meeting in Islamabad today, terming India’s actions unilateral, according to Prime Minister’s Office Press Release 110/2025. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan stated, “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
The India Ministry of External Affairs yesterday stated that the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemned the attack, noted its cross-border linkages, and decided to hold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, close the Attari Integrated Check Post, cancel SAARC visas for Pakistani nationals, declare Pakistani military advisors persona non grata, and reduce high commission staff to 30 by May 1, 2025. Pakistani nationals in India under SAARC visas were given 48 hours to leave.
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch today rejected Indian allegations, stating that such claims obstruct peace, as per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated, “This is all home-grown, there are revolutions in different so-called states against India, not one, not two, but dozens, from Nagaland to Kashmir, in the south, in Chhattisgarh.” Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar termed India’s actions “unserious,” and Power Minister Awais Leghari called the IWT suspension “water warfare.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Madhubani, Bihar, today, stated, “They will be punished,” referring to the attack’s perpetrators.
Also read: Modi vows terror crackdown at Madhubani event
किसी को भी बख्शा नहीं जाएगा… pic.twitter.com/dnQcH5cbGv
— BJP (@BJP4India) April 24, 2025
The Union government convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi today, chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, with Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav, and representatives from the Biju Janata Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, and other parties.
Rahul Backs Government
At the meeting, the Congress party leader and the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, stated, “The entire opposition stands with the government on the issue of terrorism and national security,” as per ANI News.TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said security lapses were discussed, and opposition parties assured support.
Reports indicated the Resistance Front, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility, though Indian security agencies have not confirmed this. Home Minister Amit Shah visited Pahalgam on April 22 and met victims’ families yesterday. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah convened an all-party meeting in Srinagar today. A two-minute silence was observed at the start of today’s All-Party Meeting in Srinagar “to honour the innocent lives lost in the Pahalgam terror attack — a solemn moment of shared grief, unity, and unwavering resolve”. The J&K Chief Minister’s office stated, “Kashmiriyat, our unity and harmony, are under attack. But we stand undeterred. Today’s All-Party Meeting unanimously condemned the heinous Pahalgam killings, reaffirming that no act of terror can weaken our resolve or extinguish our spirit.”
– global bihari bureau
