New Delhi:
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday released sketches of three individuals suspected to be involved in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed. The police have identified two of the suspects as Pakistani nationals and have announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for credible information leading to their arrest.
According to the notices made public by the Anantnag police, the suspects are: Hashim Musa alias Suleman, a citizen of Pakistan, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, also a citizen of Pakistan and Abdul Hussain Thokar, a resident of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir. All three are believed to be members of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The attack, which took place in Baisaran near Pahalgam on Tuesday, claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. It is one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in recent years.
In response to the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a strongly worded statement today during a public address in Bihar. In his first remarks since the incident, PM Modi said, “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s resolve will not falter. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Modi, held an emergency meeting yesterday and announced a set of five retaliatory measures against Pakistan.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing the media yesterday evening, announced that both Indian and Pakistani high commissions will reduce their staff strength from 55 to 30, effective from 1 May. Military, naval and air advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and must leave within a week. India will similarly withdraw its advisors from Islamabad.
Pakistani nationals will no longer be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme. All existing visas under this scheme are cancelled, and current holders must leave India within 48 hours. The only land border crossing between India and Pakistan is now shut. Pakistani citizens who crossed into India via Attari with valid permissions must return before 1 May.
India has also put the 1960 agreement in abeyance until Pakistan ceases support for terrorism.
Earlier today, a huge protest erupted outside the Pakistan High Commission in the national capital amid heightened tensions between Delhi and Islamabad over the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people.
Visuals from outside the Pakistan High Commission, located in Chanakyapuri, Delhi’s diplomatic enclave, show a large crowd gathered outside the building, with police forces trying to pacify it.