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Congress Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and MP Rahul Gandhi will travel to Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack at Pahalgam.
Leader Takes Quick Action Amid Crisis
Rahul Gandhi, who was on an official visit to the United States, decided to cut his trip short and returned to New Delhi early on Thursday morning.
This move follows a similar response from other high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also shortened their overseas trips—Modi to Saudi Arabia and Sitharaman to the United States—in response to the attack.
Earlier in the day, the Indian government held an all-party meeting to assess the security situation and discuss a unified response to the terrorist assault.
India’s Strong Retaliatory Measures Against Pakistan
In the aftermath of the attack, India took decisive steps against Pakistan, citing its support for cross-border terrorism.
During a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi and attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, the government announced it would suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan demonstrates a clear and irreversible cessation of its support for terrorism.
In addition to this, India declared the Pakistani High Commission officials persona non grata, demanding they leave the country within a week. The government also canceled all visas granted under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme and ordered Pakistani nationals to depart within 48 hours.
“The Government of India has also decided to suspend visa services for Pakistani nationals, effective immediately. All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals will stand revoked, effective from 27 April 2025,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated.
Grieving Families Call for Strong Government Action
Meanwhile, families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack mourned their losses and called for tough action against those responsible for the attack.
The final rites of Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the attack, were held in his hometown of Karnal. Another victim, Manjunath Rao from Shivamogga, was also killed, and his family friend, Dattatreya, urged the government to take strong steps against terrorism.
The attack on Tuesday at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, with several others injured. This marks one of the deadliest incidents in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which took the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
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