‘Terrorism has no religion’ — Pakistani celebrities ‘deeply saddened’ after Pahalgam attack


"No matter where we come from, grief speaks the same language. May we choose humanity, always," wrote Hania Aamir.

Images Staff
24 Apr, 2025
DAWN

Pakistan’s celebrities are offering heartfelt condolences after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists on Tuesday in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, leaving at least 24 dead.

“At least 24 people have been killed,” a senior police officer in Kashmir told AFP on condition of anonymity, calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.

Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic Muslim-majority territory, draws thousands of visitors every summer as gunmen violence has reduced in recent years.
Celebrities react

Following the incident, some of the biggest names in Pakistani entertainment took to social media to denounce the “horrifying event.”

Fawad Khan, whose upcoming Bollywood film Abir Gulaal is now facing increased opposition in India, took to Instagram on Wednesday night and wrote, “Deeply saddened to hear the news of the heinous attack in Pahalgam. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrifying incident, and we pray for strength and healing for their families in this difficult time.”






Hania Aamir, set to star in a movie with Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh, said, “Tragedy anywhere is a tragedy for all of us. My heart is with the innocent lives affected by the recent events. In pain, in grief and in hope — we are one.”

The actor went on to say that when innocent lives were lost, the pain was shared by everyone. “No matter where we come from, grief speaks the same language. May we choose humanity, always


Singer Annural Khalid prayed for the victims of the tragedy and their families. “Sick, sick world we live in,” she wrote on her Instagram story.






In a second post, Khalid clarified that she did not speak up on atrocities based on personal preferences. “Violence and terror has no place on earth and has never been the solution to anything.

“I stand with our oppressed brothers and sisters in Parachinar, Balochistan, Hazara community equally as those in Falasteen […] Respectfully, to all keyboard warriors, stop being insensitive and gather some intellect.”






Singer and actor Farhan Saeed offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the victims and their families, and signed his post with a broken heart emoji.






Mawra Hocane, who recently featured in the music video for Indian singer Akhil Sachdeva’s track ‘Tu Chaand Hai’, offered her deepest condolences to the affected families.

“An act of terrorism against one is terrorism against all… What’s happening to the world?” the actor questioned.






Actor Anmol Baloch prayed for peace and healing and said, “Deeply saddened by the tragic incident in Pahalgam. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. May they find strength in this time of immense loss.”






Ahsan Khan, also in an Instagram story, wrote, “Terrorism has no religion.” He offered his heartfelt condolences to the victims of the attack.






Danish Taimoor said, “Deeply saddened by the news from Pahalgam. My condolences go out to the families affected by the tragedy in Pahalgam. May healing and peace come swiftly.”






Actor Usama Khan on X (formerly Twitter) offered his heartfelt condolences to the victims. “Terrorism is condemnable, regardless of where it occurs, whether in Pakistan, India or anywhere else. We should stand against such violence.”






Director and producer Wajahat Rauf said, “If you kill one innocent person, it is as if you have killed the entire humanity. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and the families of the Pahalgam attack.”






Singer Shamoon Ismail prayed for the victims and called the attack “truly a horrifying event. May justice prevail.”






Singer Shae Gill said, “My heart goes out to the survivors and the departed souls from the Phalagam incident. Praying for their families.”






In the wake of the attack, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) called for a boycott of Pakistani artists, The Indian Express reported. In a statement, it said, “In the wake of these repeated attacks, FWICE reaffirms its unwavering commitment to national interest and solidarity. We reiterate our directive, originally issued on February 18, 2019, calling for complete non-cooperation with all Pakistan artists, singers, and technicians within the Indian film and entertainment industry.”

The statement maintained that any members of FWICE working with Pakistani actors would face disciplinary action.

According to NDTV, Ashoke Pandit, the chief advisor of FWICE who also serves as the president of the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association, said, “This incident is an act of war against the nation. This isn’t the first time…these attacks have been ongoing for 30 years. We, as a federation, have requested with folded hands to not work Pakistanis.”

Pahalgam attack

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA

Editorial 

DAWN

April 24, 2025 


IN the aftermath of Tuesday’s militant attack on tourists in India-held Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, South Asia once again stands on a knife’s edge.

Displaying a knee-jerk reaction to the tragedy, in which over 25 people were killed, the Indian foreign secretary has highlighted the alleged “cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack”, dragging Pakistan into this deplorable episode.

New Delhi has responded by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, which has survived wars and periods of tension, further downgrading diplomatic relations, and closing the Attari border crossing. Pakistan, which had initially expressed concern and condolences over the attack, will calibrate its response today, as the prime minister has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee to review the situation.

The assault has been claimed by ‘The Resistance Front’, a hitherto unknown entity; media reports have quoted the outfit as claiming the attack to protest against demographic changes in the disputed region. This is probably the biggest attack targeting civilians in IHK in 25 years. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has termed the assault as a possible “false flag operation”. No cause can justify the targeting of innocent non-combatants, and the incident must be roundly condemned.

However, India must also look inwards and review its brutal rule in held Kashmir, which has bred immense discontent. And when all peaceful avenues for a just resolution to the Kashmir dispute are blocked, it is not surprising that some inside the occupied territory take up guns to express their anger. Ever since doing away with the disputed region’s limited autonomy in August 2019, the BJP-led government has pretended that ‘all is well’ in IHK. That is not the case. Even voices within India are questioning the government’s claims of having established calm. For example, India’s opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, has asked the rulers to move beyond “hollow claims” of peace in occupied Kashmir.

Genuine peace can only come to Kashmir — and the rest of South Asia — when this nearly eight-decade-old dispute is resolved as per the wishes of the Kashmiris, with buy-in from Pakistan and India. If the Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi thinks it can stamp out all peaceful calls for freedom and justice through brute force and intimidation, then there will be no end to blood-soaked episodes.

The tragic events in Pahalgam should serve as a wake-up call for India’s rulers: if they want peace in IHK, and peace between Pakistan and India, then sincere efforts must be made to resolve the Kashmir question at the negotiating table, involving the Kashmiris as well as Pakistan.

From here, Pakistan must proceed with caution and prepare a calm yet firm response to India’s allegations, and threats. While de-escalation is the preferred course of action, India should also know that any misadventure will be met by Pakistan resolutely.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2025

Pahalgam attack: FM Dar throws down gauntlet to India, asks for evidence of allegations against Pakistan

Dawn.com | APP Published April 24, 2025 

Federal ministers address a press conference on Thursday. — DawnNewsTV

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday challenged India to present evidence, if it had any, of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference after a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee, FM Dar said, “India has time and again played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan’s involvement [in Pahalgam], please share it with us and the world.”

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The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as ‘The Resistance Front’, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.


A day ago, India shut borders, downgraded diplomatic ties and, in an unprecedented move, unilaterally announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) over what the Bharatiya Janata Party government and media claimed — without offering any specific or concrete evidence about their allegations against Pakistan — were “cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack”.

In his press conference, FM Dar rattled off the NSC’s decisions and said Pakistan had responded in kind to the Indian announcements. He was seated beside Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan.

Dar said Pakistan had noted the arrival of some “foreign nationals” in Srinagar who were under monitoring by intelligence agencies.

“We know that Indian intelligence is supporting them and the foreigners are trying to export IEDs (improvised explosive devices). You can imagine where they are trying to export them,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s armed forces were ready to respond to any challenge.

“We are prepared in regard to defence. If anyone tries to attempt any adventure, then they’ve tried in the past as well [and failed] so this time around it will be even worse for them.”

Asif said that although India had not named Pakistan directly for the incident, the Indian media and other stakeholders were blaming the country.

“[Narendra] Modi is the only world leader who was denied a visa by the US and it was on the grounds of terrorism,” Asif said. “We have categorically condemned this [attack]. We condemn all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world without any hesitation, be it in India.”

He said that without any hesitation, Pakistan was the greatest victim of terrorism in the world.

“Terrorism is raging in Pakistan, both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” the defence minister said, alleging that sponsors and leaders of banned militant outfits, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), “are sitting in India and they receive [medical] treatment there”.

“This is not speculation, this is hard fact,” he added.

Asif said terrorism was being exported to Pakistan, adding that whatever was emanating from Afghanistan or happening in Balochistan “clearly shows the footprints and fingerprints of India”

He said India had, as a state, “exported terrorism” to Canada and the United States with leaders from both countries objecting to the premise.

“Thank God, there are no such allegations against Pakistan,” Asif added.

The defence minister said that if India were to officially name Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam incident, the country would give a “befitting response”.

“Neither India nor the international community should have any doubt about it,” he said, adding that Pakistan had the complete right to defend itself.

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Citing the example of Indian spy Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, who was arrested in Pakistan in2016, Asif said that there were a series of incidents in the past 15 to 20 years which proved that India played a part in terrorism in Pakistan.

He said that groups like the TTP and the BLA were proxies of India who had declared war on Pakistan. “India is already fighting a low-intensity war through terrorists against us,” he said.

“If they want to ramp up its scale, then we are ready for that, let no one have any doubt about it.

“We are not going to bow to any international pressure when it comes to our soil and security.”

Asif said Pakistan’s unity would be “on full display on the international scene” if the propaganda that was being peddled by India over the last few days took on another form.

“India will get to know how we can respond,” he said.

“India is preparing for war and terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities. I want to say that we are ready for a response and it will be tit-for-tat if our citizens are endangered. Indian citizens will not remain safe. If even one citizen is harmed in an Indian-perpetrated/orchestrated act, then we will make them pay through their noses.”

Talking about the legal aspects of India’s announcement, AGP Awan, an active member of the team that deals with the IWT, said that the treaty could not be suspended, let alone either party do it unilaterally.

“If the treaty is to be ended, then it would end by an agreement between the two countries,” the AGP said.

“As far as the [Indian] statement is concerned, which is only a statement for now, if this escalates, then Pakistan, according to the treaty, has all legal rights,” he said, adding that Pakistan would approach any forum related to the treaty to present its case.

At this, FM Dar added that when the Indian external foreign secretary issued the statement, the charge d’affaires at the Pakistani High Commission in India was summoned and handed over a demarche.

“In that demarche, there was everything that they had decided. Interestingly, it does not mention the IWT,” he said.

Dar said the Foreign Office would summon Indian officials and issue a demarche today to inform them of the NSC’s decisions. “Looking at these conditions, my visits to Bangladesh and Kabul have been delayed so that we can prepare a diplomatic response,” he added.

Responding to a question regarding what actions Pakistan would take to India’s escalations, FM Dar said Pakistan would mirror India.

“This is tit-for-tat […] whatever they do, we will do to them,” Dar said.

In response to a question as to what Pakistan would do in response if India were to stop the water, Dar said that it would be tantamount to an “act of war”.

“Whatever actions we have to take, we are prepared for that, including abeyance of bilateral agreements like the Simla Agreement,” he said.

In response to a question about whether China would help Pakistan, FM Dar said that Pakistan did not need any help.

“We are taking our friends in confidence. However, we are not dependent on someone to help us.

“Pakistan is prepared in every way,” Dar said, adding that Pakistan always talked about peace and promoted it at multilateral forums.

Law minister Tarar said the provisions for suspension did not exist in the IWT. “India should not blame Pakistan for its security lapses and evade responsibility without any tangible and admissible evidence.”

Meanwhile, the information minister said that the response from India was “childish and immature”.

“Legally, they did not read the document, nor did they try to find the legal grounds,” the minister said, adding that he saw hollow threats yesterday from the Indian side.

“The entire world knows this with clarity that India has been using terrorism to victimise itself,” he said.

“We are a frontline state against terrorism. You have been exposed. The entire world knows that you sponsor terrorism in Pakistan […] now you are using it for your political advantage,” he said.
Pahalgam incident regrettable, we stand united for national interest: Gandapur

Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur chaired the 31st meeting of the provincial cabinet, during which he strongly condemned the recent Pahalgam incident.

Describing the event as deeply regrettable, Gandapur reaffirmed that the nation stood united in safeguarding Pakistan’s national interest and territorial integrity.

CM Gandapur criticised the Indian government’s response to the incident, labelling it “aggressive, unfortunate and unacceptable”. He stated that the Indian authorities were attempting to exploit the Pahalgam incident as part of a “deliberate conspiracy to malign Pakistan”.

He emphasised that the incident highlighted the Indian government’s failures and incompetence.

Expressing sorrow over the loss of lives, Gandapur accused the Indian leadership of using inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan to cover up its internal shortcomings.

Gandapur warned that any act of aggression under the guise of this incident would meet with a resolute and strong response. “We are fully prepared to defend our country,” he declared, “and we will not hesitate to make any sacrifice necessary to protect our sovereignty.”

He further added that India’s aggressive posture had always posed a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Pahalgam attack: India suspends Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect, closes Attari border crossing

Says Pakistanis not allowed to enter India under Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme; PM Shehbaz convenes National Security Committee meeting on Thursday.

AFP | Dawn.com | Reuters 

Published April 23, 2025 

In a major escalation move, India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan with immediate effect in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam a day ago. Pakistan, in response, has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee to deliberate the resulting situation.

In other announcements, it said the Attari border check post was closed; Pakistanis in India under the Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme had 48 hours to leave the country, while others could return by May 1; defence personnel at the Pakistani High Commission in India had a week to leave the country and staff at the high commissions would be reduced as well.

The attack took place in Pahalgam — a tourist hotspot in the scenic Muslim-majority territory that draws thousands of visitors every summer — and at least 26 people were killed, all men, while police said another 17 people were injured, when gunmen opened fire on visitors in the popular destination, AFP reported, citing a hospital list of the dead that was verified by police. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.

The Indian government had vowed that a “loud and clear” response would be delivered to the attack. Meanwhile, Pakistan had expressed concern over the incident.

What we know so far:India suspends Indus Waters Treaty, closes Attari border check post
PM Shehbaz convenes meeting of National Security Committee for Thursday
Indian defence minister vows “loud and clear” response
All gunned down were men from across India, barring one from Nepal
Heavy security near site as India launches search operation, claims killing 2 in ‘infiltration attempt’
Trump offers Modi ‘full support’ as China, others condemn incident
Modi to convene security cabinet meeting in evening
Call for shutdown in occupied Kashmir in protest against attack

Addressing a press conference on the matter today, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India’s highest decision-making body on national security, held a meeting today under Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the incident.

“In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of the elections in the union territory and its steady progress towards economic growth and development. Recognising the seriousness of this terrorist attack, the CCS decided upon the following measures: the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”

The Indus Water Treaty is a water-sharing agreement between Pakistan and India, facilitated by the World Bank. It allocates the waters of the Indus River system between the two countries. It established the India-Pakistan Indus Commission, which is supposed to resolve any problems that arise.

As per Article XII subsection 4 of the Indus Waters Treaty, the provisions of the agreement will “continue in force until terminated by a duly ratified treaty concluded for that purpose between the two governments”.

India blames Pakistan for pushing fighters across the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) between the two countries to launch attacks on Indian forces. However, Islamabad has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had categorically ruled out Pakistan’s involvement in the incident in an interview earlier today.

Responding to media queries concerning the attack earlier today, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Khan in a statement said: “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,” he added.

In his other announcements, the Indian foreign secretary said movement at the Attari border check post would be closed with immediate effect. “Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025,” he added.

The border closure is hugely symbolic — it is on the Attari-Wagah crossing that crowds gather each evening to cheer on their nation’s soldiers as they goose-step in a chest-puffing theatrical ritual symbolising the countries’ rivalry. The daily border ritual, which began in 1959, has largely endured, surviving innumerable diplomatic flare-ups and military skirmishes.

“Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the Saarc Visa Exemption Scheme,” the Indian foreign secretary said, adding that all such visas issued in the past were deemed cancelled and any Pakistani in India under the scheme had 48 hours to leave the country.

“The defence, military, naval and air advisers at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared persona non grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own defence, navy and air advisers from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad,” he said, adding that the posts were deemed annulled and their support staff would be withdrawn as well.

He also said the overall strength of the high commissions would be curbed to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions to be implemented by May 1.

“The CCS reviewed the overall security situation and directed all forces to maintain high vigilance. It resolved that the perpetrators of this attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account.”

He said India would be “unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror or conspired to make them possible”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning to respond to the Indian actions.






A report by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said the meeting would discuss in detail India’s “irresponsible actions after Pahalgam false flag operation” and would be chaired by the premier with senior civil and military leadership to deliberate upon the resulting internal and external situation.

“It will review response to India’s hastily taken, impulsive and impractical water measures,” the report said.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khandzada ke Saath’, FM Dar called the MEA’s announcements “inappropriate”.

“There is no evidence … expressing their anger like this is inappropriate,” he said. “Tomorrow, we have convened the National Security Committee. We were in Turkiye when the incident happened, but we have been following the incident throughout and issued a statement.”

Asked about the Foreign Office’s stance, Dar said, “It takes two to tango.

“We cannot do anything alone. These announcements seem like a knee-jerk reaction and are immature and presumptuous,” he said, adding that Pakistan was blamed for any attacks in India.

“We have had issues with India over the IWT before, and the World Bank has been involved,” he said. “I don’t want to pre-empt what the Foreign Office will do, but they will have my recommendations. During tomorrow’s NSC meeting, the FO will lay out its stance.

“The quick reaction suggests that this may be a political ploy,” Dar said. “We will appreciate any evidence they present, but their actions are presumptive, politically motivated and the whole thing is undesirable.”

Dar added that Pakistan had “no relation” to the outfit that allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack when asked about how the Indian media was portraying the incident.

“Rather than taking the opportunity to create hype, they could have presented evidence,” he lamented. “They are trying to play the blame game, which is an unserious approach.

“We are currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we have already put together a resolution on this. We will approach every forum, every bilateral engagement and the other non-permanent members of the Security Council,” he added.

“We will respond as a mature nation should,” he said.

Responding to the IWT announcement, Asif posted the final provisions of the treaty’s Article 12 on X, saying: “These are the relevant clauses of the IWT. There is no need for any interpretation of these clauses. The procedure for amending the treaty and adding new clauses is outlined in it. What India can do and what it cannot do is clearly specified. Pakistan is also bound by the same procedure. For many years, India has been attempting to deviate from this treaty through various pretexts and excuses. It is using this unfortunate incident of terrorism solely to fulfil an old desire.”

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khandzada ke Saath’, Asif said Pakistan should give a “considered” response, not an immediate one, to India’s serious allegations.

He said India had been attempting to escape the treaty’s bounds for a long time.

In his interview with Hum News earlier today, Asif termed the incident a “false flag operation”. “We cannot ever rule this out, the possibility [that it was a false flag] will be there,” he said.

He added that allegations levelled against Pakistan were unfounded.

“There are plenty of homegrown organisations within India,” Asif said. “We condemn terrorism in all its forms, since Pakistan has been the most affected by terrorism. We are the last country that would support terrorism after the effect it has had on us.”

When asked if Pakistan would be able to provide a military response, Asif recounted when Indian aircraft conducted a bombing in Balakot in 2019.

“Everyone remembers what happened with Abhinandan,” Asif said, referring to an Indian pilot shot down and captured by Pakistani forces.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also assailed India’s “baseless and false” allegations against Pakistan while condemning the attack and extending his condolences.

“The immediate accusation against Pakistan after the incident shows Indian malice. The aim of India’s conspiracy is to divert attention from the atrocities in Kashmir … The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the false flag operation is condemnable,” he said, demanding that the international community take notice of India’s “dramatic tactics”.

He alleged that India wanted to sabotage the IWT through such “vile propaganda”.

Power Awais Leghari said India’s “reckless suspension” of the IWT was “an act of water warfare; a cowardly, illegal move. Every drop is ours by right, and we will defend it with full force — legally, politically, and globally.”






Former president Arif Alvi said that “any attempt to falsely accuse Pakistan or unjustly implicate my homeland will be thwarted by the united strength of the entire nation.”

He said there should be “no doubt or ambiguity that we stand resolute with our armed forces and people to counter any aggression from the Indian government with steadfast determination. We are united, speaking with one voice and one soul in defence of peace and sovereignty.”

On today’s announcements from the Indian MEA, South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman called them “highly consequential retaliations”, adding that “in 2019, India threatened to suspend IWT but didn’t follow through.”






Former high commissioner to India Abdul Basit told Geo News that suspending the agreement violated Article 12 of the IWT, but urged people not to panic.

“It will take time for water to stop reaching the Indus and Chenab,” he said. “We are having a security committee meeting and should keep all options open.”

Basit predicted that there would be “some sort of action” taken against Pakistan in the coming days and predicted the situation in Balochistan would worsen. “We could see a Balakot-type response, or an even worse one,” he warned.

“They will do something, because they have raised such drama in Pahalgam. There are domestic issues in India: Muslims were protesting amendments to a law in India. They needed to divert attention and put Muslims on the back foot. They are framing this as a Hindu-Muslim issue,” he added.

Basit said that relations between the nuclear powers would “never be normal” until the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was resolved.

He additionally warned that Afghanistan’s exports would be affected, since its goods were transported to India through the now-closed Wagah Border.

Speaking to Geo News, former federal minister and Senator Sherry Rehman said that it was surprising that India suspended the agreement, given that it was followed even during wars between both nations.

“Now they have suspended it of their own accord. This is an anti-humanitarian action — they are weaponising water,” she said. “This looks like a knee-jerk reaction,” she added. “To date, they are unable to prove the identity of the attackers. They claim to have examined the bodies of the attackers and cannot prove anything.”

She said the incident was a “false flag operation”, although she said she “did not want to play the blame game”.

PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui said India could not unilaterally suspend the IWT since it was a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank.

“It has withstood wars and tensions. Water must not be weaponised. Such actions violate Articles IX & XII and undermine humanitarian principles.”

Veteran politician Mushahid Hussain said India’s suspension of the treaty over “cross-border linkages” with terrorism was premeditated. “They were looking for a pretext to suspend it,” he told ARY News.

“It is a violation of international law, the IWT and the UN charter.”

Calling Modi a “bully”, he said he was not afraid of any military action by India. “They are setting up for a long-haul campaign to malign Pakistan,” he said. “We need a proactive, political-diplomatic response. We have a platform at the UNSC and we need to take India to court, because this is a violation of international law.

“We also need to publish a factsheet showing India’s pattern of false flag operations, how they fail to provide evidence, facts or proof,” he added. “It is as if the Indian media is on autopilot — if there’s an attack, blame Pakistan.”

Hussain slammed Indian media personalities for being jingoistic, calling them “warmongers”. “Pakistan should call a UNSC meeting immediately,” he stated. “The security council’s purpose is to counter any threats to peace and security. Water is now being weaponised; this is water aggression.”

Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said suspending the IWT violated international law and the treaty itself.

“This childish decision will affect only [the] poor farmers of Punjab and Sindh,” he wrote in a post on X.

Former federal minister Shireen Mazari said suspending the IWT was another “tantrum” by India.

“India has in any case been violating [the] IWT ad nauseum and Pakistan had earlier already downgraded diplomatic relations, so no surprises!”

She called India’s behaviour “predictable”, stating that targeting Pakistan without evidence was an “easy and jingoistic ‘solution’”.
India vows ‘loud and clear’ response

Modi had decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.

“Those responsible and behind such an act will very soon hear our response, loud and clear,” Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a speech in New Delhi today.

“We won’t just reach those people who carried out the attack. We will also reach out to those who planned this from behind the scenes on our land.” Singh did not identify those he believes are responsible for the killings, but said that “India’s government will take every step that may be necessary and appropriate.”

The killings came a day after Modi met in New Delhi with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India with his wife and children.

All the dead were listed as residents of India — many from across the country — except one living in Nepal. The dead included a navy officer, The Hindu reported.

Some of the victims were from distant regions of India, which included Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Many of their bodies were brought to Srinagar today by a fleet of ambulances, as military helicopters soared overhead, searching the forested mountain flanks for signs of the attackers.

A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as ‘The Resistance Front’, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

An Indian military helicopter is seen in flight as viewed from Pahalgam, south of Srinagar on April 23, 2025, following an attack. — AFP


A similar incident took place ahead of former US president Bill Clinton’s visit to Delhi in the year 2000, when 36 Indians were killed, but there has been considerable dispute over who staged it.

At the time, India had bla­med Pakistan-based militants, but Indian and Kashmiri obse­rvers decried it as an alleged plot by the Indian army.

Following the attack, several Indian media outlets and social media accounts began linking the attack to Pakistan, without any evidence to substantiate the claim.

While pundits on Indian TV channels ratcheted up their customary anti-Pakistan rhetoric, there was no official finger-pointing towards Islamabad in the hours immediately following the attack.

According to The Statesman, local police only reposted the X posts of the president, the prime minister, the home minister, and the local governor.

Senator Rehman, while condemning the “shocking terror attack”, said: “Unfortunately, the reflexive finger-pointing already at play against Pakistan has become the boilerplate response for a New Delhi that is unable to contain its own spectacular failures amidst a fundamentalist meltdown.”

“Voices of reason that urge strategic stability, responsible engagement across the LoC (Line of Control) are ignored, even ridiculed,” the former federal minister said.

Rehman stressed that “stridency-on-steroids is not a foreign policy”.






Former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique condemned Indian media’s attempt to blame Pakistan for the attack “without any evidence”, calling it “highly irresponsible, absurd and baseless”.






Former foreign minister Khurram Dastgir Khan had expressed his concern over the loss of life during the attack.

“Condolences to families and near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he said in a post on X.





India hunts gunmen

AFP journalists near the site of the attack in Pahalgam reported a heavy deployment of security forces.

“The search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice,” the Indian army said in a statement.

Hundreds of security forces rushed to the Pahalgam area soon after the attack and a massive combing operation was launched in the forests there, two security sources told Reuters.

About 100 people suspected of having been resistance sympathisers in the past were called to police stations and questioned, they added.


Indian police officers stand guard in front of a clock tower following an attack near south Kashmir’s scenic Pahalgam, at Lal Chowk area in Srinagar on April 23, 2025. — Reuters



Following the attack, the Indian army claimed to have killed two fighters along with foiling an infiltration attempt in the Uri sector in occupied Kashmir’s north, The Indian Express said.

Modi held a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in the morning after he cut short his state visit to Saudi Arabia over the attack, The Indian Express reported.

A special security cabinet meeting had been called for 6pm (5:30pm PKT), a defence ministry official said.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah also rushed to the region to coordinate with authorities and met the survivors, the outlet added.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also cutting short her visit to the United States and Peru “to be with our people in this difficult and tragic time”, her ministry said.

Pahalgam lies 90 kilometres by road from the key city of Srinagar. It sits on a scenic meadow that has been used as a backdrop in Indian movies, most notably Bobby.

It also falls on the route of the annual Amarnath Yatra — a Hin­du pilgrimage to a cave shr­ine dedicated to Lord Shiva — which makes it one of the most protected regions of India-held Jammu and Kashmir.

The brazen attack in the hig­hly protected zone has raised eyebrows across the region.
‘Men targeted’

A tour guide in Pahalgam told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and had transported some of the wounded away on horseback.

Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground, while a witness who requested anonymity said the attackers were “clearly sparing women”.

One woman survivor described how men in uniform emerged from forests at a meadow where tourists were enjoying the peace of nature, The Indian Express newspaper reported.

Paramedics and police personnel move an injured tourist to a hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar.—AFP

Survivors said they had assumed they were policemen.

“They were there at least for 20 minutes, undeterred, moving around and opening fire”, the newspaper quoted the survivor as saying.

“The militants, I can’t say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” a witness who asked not to be identified told AFP.

“They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes a single shot and sometimes many bullets. It was like a storm,” said the man, who cares for horses that are popular with tourists in the area.

The witness said dozens of people fled as the gunmen opened fire. “They all started running around in panic,” he added.

Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including those with gunshot wounds.

“The firing happened in front of us,” one witness told broadcaster India Today, without giving his name, according to Reuters.

“We thought someone was setting off firecrackers, but when we heard other people [screaming], we quickly got out of there … saved our lives and ran.”

“For four kilometres, we did not stop … I am shaking,” another witness was quoted as telling India Today.

The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and two or three gunmen were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior police officer.

Witnesses told The Wire that the meadow, which is not serviced by road and can be rea­ched on foot, horseback or by chopper, was buzzing with tou­rists on Tuesday as the weather had improved after many days of rain and thunderstorms.
Shutdown call

Over a dozen local organisations called for a shutdown in occupied Kashmir to protest against the attack on tourists, whose rising numbers are said to have helped the local economy.

Many schools also suspended classes for the day in protest.

Airlines were operating extra flights from Srinagar as visitors were rushing out of the region, officials said.

The main highway connecting Srinagar to the rest of the country had been damaged by heavy rain and was shut for repairs, pushing up demand for flights, they said.

Television visuals showed tourists carrying their bags to taxis and filing out of a hotel in Srinagar.

“How can we continue our trip in such a situation?” Sameer Bhardwaj, a tourist from New Delhi, told ANI. “We need to prioritise our safety. We can only travel if our minds are relaxed but everyone is tense here. So, we cannot continue to travel.”


Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu’s office said four special flights from Srinagar — two to Delhi and two to Mumbai — have been arranged, with additional flights kept on standby to cater to further evacuation needs.

“Naidu also held an urgent meeting with all airline operators and … directed [them] to maintain regular fare levels, ensuring that no passenger is burdened during this sensitive time,” it said in a statement.
Trump offers Modi ‘full support’

In Washington, the White House said US President Donald Trump had been briefed on what a White House spokesperson described as a “brutal terrorist attack”.

India’s foreign ministry subsequently said Trump called Modi and “expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack”.

In his message yesterday as well, Trump said India had the “full support” of the US. “The United States stands strong with India against terrorism.”






Vance offered condolences in a social media post, calling it a “horrific attack”.

In New York, a spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he “strongly condemns” the attack.

China’s foreign ministry offered “sincere sympathies”.

“We mourn the victims and extend our sincere sympathies to the families of the victims and the injured,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding China “strongly condemns this attack”.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen pledged: “Europe will stand with you.”

Among other foreign leaders condemning the attack were Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and New Zealand.






Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll still uncertain.

“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he added in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”






Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the attack “extremely condemnable and heartbreaking,” while urging the government to move beyond what he termed “hollow claims” of peace in occupied Kashmir.

“The whole country is united against terrorism,” Gandhi said.





Holiday destination

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, whose limited autonomy Modi’s government revoked in 2019.

“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement.






In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for winter skiing and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.

A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the LoC.

India PM vows to pursue Kashmir attackers to ‘ends of the Earth’

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA 

By AFP

April 24, 2025


Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the gunment who killed 26 people in Kashmir - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA
Arunabh Saikia with Emma Clark in Islamabad

India and Pakistan exchanged an escalating series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures on Thursday after New Delhi blamed its arch-rival for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism”.

“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” Modi said in his first speech since the attack in the Himalayan region. “We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth”.

Indian police in the region have identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.

The attack at Pahalgam in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians, rather than Indian security forces.

New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a rare meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) with top military officials, including powerful Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, in the capital Islamabad in response to India’s accusations and measures.

“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” a statement released by Sharif’s office said after the NSC meeting.

“In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic,” it said.



– ‘Leave immediately’ –



The slew of tit-for-tat measures announced by the Pakistan government include expelling Indian diplomats and cancelling visas for Indian nationals with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.

Islamabad said Indian military advisers were “persona non grata” and were “directed to leave Pakistan immediately”.

The main Wagah border crossing in Punjab will close on both sides.

Pakistan also warned that it would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an “act of war”.

Indian police say the three gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation.

Police have offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.

While the measures taken so far are largely symbolic, some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo — with the potential risk of military action between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan.

At the Attari-Wagah frontier, Pakistani citizens had already started to leave.

“We just want to go home,” said an exhausted-looking Mehnaz Begum, a Pakistani businessman from Karachi, as he left India.



– ‘Break the backbone’ –



Modi led two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.

“I say this unequivocally: whoever has carried out this attack, and the ones who devised it, will be made to pay beyond their imagination”, Modi said, speaking in Hindi during a visit in Bihar state.

“Whatever little land these terrorists have, it’s time to reduce it to dust. The willpower of 1.4 billion Indians will break the backbone of these terrorists.”

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the high-altitude territory in full but governing separate portions of it.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained in the operation.

A soldier was killed on Thursday in clashes with gunmen at Basantgarh in Kashmir, the Indian army said.



– ‘Heartbroken and shocked’ –



Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar appeared calm on Thursday, with residents expressing shock at the attack, which has hit the region’s key tourist industry hard, and fear of what is to come.

“Everyone I have spoken to is heartbroken and shocked,” said Siddhi Wahid, a Kashmiri historian and political commentator.

Tuesday’s assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.

Survivors told Indian media the gunmen targeted men and spared those who could give the Islamic declaration of faith.

In Pakistan, activists and members of religious parties staged an anti-India protest on Thursday.

The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.

“It is a deliberate and targeted campaign of hate and vilification against students from a particular region and identity,” Jammu and Kashmir Students Association convenor Nasir Khuehami said.

pzb-sai-pjm-ecl/pbt

Furious India eyes response to Pakistan after Kashmir attack


By AFP
April 24, 2025


India has so far responded with mostly symbolic diplomatic gestures after a deadly attack in Kashmir it blames on Pakistan, but experts say there could still be a military response - Copyright AFP 

Arun SANKAR

India has hit Pakistan with a raft of mostly symbolic diplomatic measures after a deadly attack it blames on its arch-rival, but analysts warn a military response may yet come.

New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night, just over 24 hours after gunmen killed 26 men in Indian-administered Kashmir.

And then on Thursday, New Delhi said it had suspended visas services “with immediate effect” and ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country, with the exception of remaining diplomats.

Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that a response may come within days while others say weeks.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” — claims Pakistan denies — and police in Kashmir identified two Pakistani nationals among the three alleged gunmen.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday to punish all those responsible “to the ends of the Earth”.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have sunk to their lowest level in years and some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo.

“This attack is going to take… relations a long way back to the dark days,” said International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi.

“Given the Narendra Modi government’s security approach, they might resort to kinetic (military) measures in the next couple of weeks, because they believe in projecting a strong security state.”

Pakistan held a rare national security meeting on Thursday after New Delhi’s punitive diplomatic measures.



– ‘Escalation’ –



The killings have shocked India because they were a dramatic shift targeting civilians and the area’s vital tourism industry, rather than more common smaller-scale attacks against Indian security forces.

Hindu pilgrims have been targeted in the past, but direct attacks on the tourist trade that underpins much of the local economy are much rarer.

“A major attack in a tourist area does constitute a break from the past,” said Ajai Sahni, a counter-terrorism expert at the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management.

Sahni suggested there had been “an unwritten contract” not to attack the general tourism trade “because virtually everyone” in Kashmir is directly or indirectly dependent on tourism.

For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown in 2019.

“One of the reasons this attack might have happened is because the government started linking the numbers of tourists… to this narrative of normalcy,” Donthi said.

“The militants finally changed their attack. Usually, they don’t attack tourists and civilians… And this is going to mark an escalation in the conflict.”

The 2019 crackdown followed Modi’s decision to cancel Kashmir’s partial autonomy and impose direct control from New Delhi.

US-based analyst Michael Kugelman said he believed the shift meant India would therefore also likely respond with military force.

“I would argue that the combination of the scale of this attack as well as the targeting — the fact that civilians were hit — that suggests to me that there is a strong likelihood of some type of Indian military retaliation,” he said.

“I don’t necessarily think that such a response would come quickly. I suspect that New Delhi will want to take some time, some days to review a range of possible retaliations.”



– ‘Covert options available’ –



India has taken its time to respond to past attacks.

The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.

Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later, a raid that came against the backdrop of campaigning for India’s general elections.

Action taken by India so far is limited.

The now-suspended Indus Water Treaty shares critical water between the two countries — but is more a paper agreement and India has no major means of restricting flow downstream to Pakistan.

The closure of the border crossing at the Attari-Wagah frontier is also significant, although there are rarely large numbers who cross.

The border crossing hosts a hugely popular evening ritual, where crowds gather to cheer on soldiers as they goose-step in a chest-puffing theatrical show that has largely endured through innumerable diplomatic flare-ups.

Sahni said any potential military response was “ill-advised”.

“There have been military responses in the past,” he said.

“They have been drummed up to have been these great successes. They had not achieved any significant outcomes — and there is a wide range of covert options available.”

Tourists flee India-administered Kashmir after deadly attack


By AFP
April 23, 2025


Indian troops on Wednesday guarded the site of the attack where gunmen in Kashmir killed 26 people - Copyright AFP TAUSEEF MUSTAFA

Parvaiz BUKHARI

Indian tourist brochures dub the Himalayan region of Kashmir “Little Switzerland”, and its mountain meadows are usually packed with visitors escaping the sweltering summer heat in the lowland plains of India.

On Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed 26 men in an attack on the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported an “exodus of our guests”.

For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown.

Rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, but violence had dropped since New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory.

A day after the attack, the region’s deadliest assault on civilians since 2000, tourists scrambled to leave, cramming into buses and taxis, while hoteliers reported a surge of cancellations.

At Pahalgam, the site of the attack, the usually tranquil meadows surrounded by pine forests and snowcapped mountains, reverberated with the thumping sounds of military helicopters taking part in a vast manhunt for the attackers.

Around 24 hours after the attack, smears of blood were still visible at the site of attack, now patrolled by soldiers dressed in bulletproof jackets.

Soldiers guarded the entrance, as forensic investigators collected evidence.



– ‘Heartbreaking’ –



Until Tuesday afternoon, Hotel Mount View in Pahalgam was sold out for months, manager Abdul Salam told AFP.

But since news of the killings broke, he has been inundated with people scrapping their travel plans.

“This tragedy will paralyse business in Kashmir,” he said. “We are trying hard to reassure our customers who may still want to come.”

Indian authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region known for its lush valleys as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat elsewhere in India during the summer.

A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave,” Abdullah said in a statement.

India’s Director General of Civil Aviation Faiz Ahmed Kidwai issued a letter which called on airlines to “take swift action to increase the number of flights…facilitating the evacuation of tourists”.

Air India said Wednesday it had laid on extra flights “in view of the prevailing situation”.

Tourist Paras Sawla, from India’s financial hub Mumbai, said many visitors were “fearful” after the attack.

He was seeking to get the first flight home that he could.

But the saddest part, he said, was that ordinary Kashmiri people, famous for their hospitality, were doing all they could to help.

“We are not scared of the public here”, Sawla said. “They are very supportive, helping out with whatever we need.”

‘Like a storm’: Witnesses describe deadly Kashmir attack


By AFP
April 22, 2025


Paramedics assist an injured tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA

Parvaiz BUKHARI

Men were methodically targeted on Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, an eyewitness told AFP, in the worst attack on civilians in years.

At least 24 people were killed in the attack that happened in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar, a senior police official told AFP.

“I cannot say how many, but the militants came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” an eyewitness, who provides ponies for tourists, told AFP.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity as authorities barred them from speaking, said the gunmen “very clearly spared women and kept shooting at men”.

“Sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets” they said. “It was like a storm.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act”, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.

Pallavi, from India’s southern Karnataka state, said the attack “felt like a bad dream” as her husband was killed in front of her and their son.

They were attacked by “three to four people,” India Today quoted her as saying.

“I told them — kill me too…One of them said, ‘I won’t kill you. Go tell this to Modi’.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.

They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.

The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.

One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.

In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.

The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.

The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.

At least 24 killed in Kashmir attack on tourists: Indian police source


By AFP
April 22, 2025


Paramedics and police personnel carry a wounded tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, after the attack in Kashmir - Copyright AFP 

Tauseef MUSTAFA

At least 24 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists on Tuesday, a senior police officer told AFP, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.

A tour guide told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback.

“I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed, who gave only one name.

The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.

The senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 24 people had been killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.

They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan — which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.

The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.

– ‘Abomination’ –



Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll “still being ascertained”.

“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”

India’s interior minister Amit Shah said he was flying to the site of attack.

“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.

One senior politician, Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of the Himalayan region, said shortly after the shooting that at least five people had been killed.

“I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically killed five and injured several,” Mufti said, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party.



– Popular tourist destination –



Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including at least two with gunshot wounds, one with a bullet injury to the neck.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, called the killings “heartbreaking”.

“The whole country is united against terrorism,” he said in a statement, urging the federal government to “take accountability”.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.

“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement following the attack.

In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.

A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.

Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.

The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.

The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.

Gang-ravaged Haiti nearing ‘point of no return’, UN warns


ByAFP
April 21, 2025


Haiti is battling crises on multiple fronts, with widespread gang-related violence, a shaky government and faltering economy - Copyright AFP 

Clarens SIFFROY

Haiti, where rampant gang violence has surged in recent weeks, is approaching a “point of no return” leading to “total chaos,” the UN special representative to the troubled Caribbean nation warned Monday.

“As gang violence continues to spread to new areas of the country, Haitians experience growing levels of vulnerability and increasing skepticism about the ability of the state to respond to their needs,” Maria Isabel Salvador told the UN Security Council.

“Haiti could face total chaos,” she said, adding that international aid was desperately needed to avoid that fate. “I urge you to remain engaged and answer the urgent needs of the country and its people.”

Salvador cited cholera outbreaks and gender-based violence alongside a deteriorating security situation, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, with authorities struggling to cope.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti faces severe political instability, while swaths of the country are under the control of rival armed gangs who carry out widespread murders, rapes and kidnappings.

The armed groups have been battling for control of Port-au-Prince and clashes have intensified as the rival gangs attempt to establish new territories.

A Kenyan-led force authorized by the United Nations has failed to push back the gangs. The mission has around 1,000 police officers from six countries but was intended to have 2,500.

In a report seen by AFP, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that further international support was “required immediately to allow the national police to prevent the capital slipping closer to the brink.”

Haiti’s ambassador to the UN, Ericq Pierre, said his country was “slowly dying.”

“The Republic of Haiti is slowly dying under the combined action of armed gangs, drug traffickers and arms dealers,” he said, calling on his partners to “help rid the country of the gangs that are terrorizing the population.”

The report detailed the upsurge in violence, with the UN recording 2,660 homicides in the three months from December 2024 — a 41.3 percent increase over the previous quarter.

Anti-gang operations resulted in 702 people killed in that time, of which 21 percent were estimated to be innocent civilians, the report said.

Gender-based violence also recorded an alarming increase, with 347 incidents reported in the five months to February 2025, according to UN data.

Collective rape was the most common violation, accounting for 61 percent of cases.

Myanmar rebels prepare to hand key city back to junta, China says


By AFP
April 22, 2025


The flag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) raised on a welcome arch in Lashio on April 9 - Copyright AFP STR

A Myanmar ethnic minority armed group is preparing to hand a captured city back to the military in a Beijing-brokered deal, China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, as residents reported junta troops already returning.

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) ousted Myanmar’s military from the city of Lashio in August 2024, capturing their northeastern command and a key trade route to China.

Analysts say it was the worst strategic loss the military suffered since seizing power in a 2021 coup that sparked a civil war pitting the generals against anti-coup fighters and long-active ethnic armed groups.

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters the MNDAA is set to relinquish the city to the military without firing a shot.

“At the joint invitation of both sides, China recently dispatched a ceasefire monitoring team to Lashio, Myanmar, to oversee the ceasefire between the Myanmar military and the MNDAA and to witness the smooth and orderly handover of Lashio’s urban area,” he said.

China is a major ally and arms supplier of the junta but also maintains ties with ethnic rebel groups that hold territory near its border like the MNDAA, which can muster around 8,000 fighters.

Monitors have said the fall of Lashio — around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Chinese territory — was a step too far for Beijing, which balked at the prospect of instability on its borders.



– Military movements in Lashio –



The MNDAA has not commented on the handover and a spokesman for Myanmar’s military could not be reached by AFP for comment.

But a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “Some military officers have been transferred to Lashio in recent days. Some are on their way to Lashio already.”

One Lashio resident this week told AFP they had been turned away by an MNDAA checkpoint outside a hotel, after being told members of the group were meeting Myanmar military officials inside.

And a spokesman for the Lashio office of another ethnic armed organisation, allied with the MNDAA, told AFP they were “seeing military vehicles in town”.

In late 2023, the MNDAA and two other ethnic rebel groups began a combined offensive which seized swathes of Myanmar’s northern Shan state, including lucrative ruby mines and trade links.

Beijing has long been eyeing the territory for infrastructure investment under its trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

After Lashio’s fall China cut power, water and internet to the MNDAA’s homeland region of Kokang, a source close to the group told AFP.

In December it said it would cease fire and was ready for China-mediated “peace talks with the Myanmar army on issues such as Lashio”.


Myanmar Catholics mourn pope who remembered their plight


By AFP
April 22, 2025


Faithful pray in memory of the late Pope Francis at St Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon - Copyright AFP Sai Aung MAIN

Joe STENSON, Hla-Hla HTAY

As Catholics filed into Myanmar’s grandest cathedral to mourn Pope Francis on Tuesday, a wartime power cut plunged the worship hall into a murky gloom.

But at the front of the pews a portrait of the pontiff remained illuminated by an unseen source — a backup bulb or an open window keeping the image of his face vivid and bright.

It was a fitting tribute for a faith leader Myanmar Catholics hailed for shining a light on their country in its recent dark and wartorn times.

“Among popes he was the most outspoken on Myanmar,” said 44-year-old nun Sister Lucy, one of hundreds packed into Yangon’s St Mary’s Cathedral as night fell.

“Myanmar Catholics will miss him as the pope who always remembered Myanmar,” she told AFP.



– ‘People in the peripheries’ –



Pope Francis — who died Monday aged 88 — was the only Catholic church chief to visit Myanmar, arriving in 2017 as the country was in the midst of a brief democratic experiment.

Since the military snatched back power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a many-sided civil war which has killed thousands, displaced millions and seen half the population gripped by poverty.

The conflict often fails to register on the international stage. But for Pope Francis it was a regular refrain as he called the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to pray.

“Let us not fail to assist the people of Myanmar,” Francis urged in his final sermon on Easter Sunday, recalling both the civil war and last month’s magnitude-7.7 earthquake which has killed more than 3,700.

The speech was delivered by an associate because of Francis’ faltering health after he was hospitalised for five weeks with double pneumonia.

“He’s a man who really cared for those people in the peripheries,” Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, told AFP after leading prayers and hymns. “He would always listen.”

The special service on Tuesday night was held as Myanmar’s military said it would extend a ceasefire declared to ease earthquake relief efforts by one more week.

Monitors say fighting has continued despite the truce, with little evidence Pope Francis’s calls for harmony have been answered.

“The message that he left and the homework that he left for the Church is to build peace and reconciliation in the country,” Cardinal Bo said. “He would say, ‘Let’s open our hearts to everyone’.”

Cardinal Bo, a Myanmar native, has been named among the potential successors to Pope Francis, with the new pontiff due to be picked by a secrecy-shrouded conclave of cardinals in the coming weeks.

“We hope that the one that will be succeeding him will have the same sympathy, care and concern for the people of Myanmar,” said Cardinal Bo.



– ‘Practiced what he preached’ –



Inside the sweltering brickwork of St Mary’s a number of worshippers wore souvenir t-shirts from Francis’s 2017 visit and one nun used a novelty fan celebrating his trip to dull the heat.

Just inside its doors, floral tributes were presented before preserved items Francis used on his four-day venture in the Southeast Asian country — a set of vestments, a raised chair, two pillows and a towel.

There are only approximately 700,000 Catholics in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which has a population of over 50 million.

But Francis “asked the other bishops to get out of their comfort zones”, according to 50-year-old nun Sister Margarita, in the rush of the last worshippers arriving for the service heralded by clanging church bells.

“No other pope has come to Myanmar but he came,” she said. “He practiced what he preached.”

Asian scam centre crime gangs expanding worldwide: UN


By AFP
April 21, 2025


Alleged scam centre workers beside dismantled electronic appliances during a crackdown operation in Myanmar - Copyright AFP STR

Asian crime networks running multi-billion-dollar cyber scam centres are expanding their operations across the world as they seek new victims and new ways to launder money, the UN said on Monday.

Chinese and Southeast Asian gangs are raking in tens of billions of dollars a year targeting victims through investment, cryptocurrency, romance and other scams — using an army of workers often trafficked and forced to toil in squalid compounds.

The activity has largely been focused in Myanmar’s lawless border areas and dubious “special economic zones” set up in Cambodia and Laos.

But a new report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned the networks are building up operations in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands.

“We are seeing a global expansion of East and Southeast Asian organised crime groups,” said Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“This reflects both a natural expansion as the industry grows and seeks new ways and places to do business, but also a hedging against future risks should disruption continue and intensify in Southeast Asia.”

Countries in east and southeast Asia lost an estimated $37 billion to cyber fraud in 2023, the UNODC report said, adding that “much larger estimated losses” were reported around the world.

The syndicates have expanded in Africa — notably in Zambia, Angola and Namibia — as well as Pacific islands such as Fiji, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu.



– Laundering through crypto –



Besides seeking new bases and new victims, the criminal gangs are broadening their horizons to help launder their illicit income, the report said, pointing to team-ups with “South American drug cartels, the Italian mafia, and Irish mob, among many others”.

Illicit cryptocurrency mining — unregulated and anonymous — has become a “powerful tool” for the networks to launder money, the report said.

In June 2023 a sophisticated crypto mining operation in a militia-controlled territory in Libya, equipped with high-powered computers and high-voltage cooling units, was raided and 50 Chinese nationals arrested.

The global spread of the syndicates’ operations has been driven in part by pressure from authorities in Southeast Asia.

A major crackdown on scam centres in Myanmar this year, pushed by Beijing, led to around 7,000 workers from at least two dozen counrties being freed.

But the UN report warns that while such efforts disrupt the scam gangs’ immediate activities, they have shown themselves able to adapt and relocate swiftly.

“It spreads like a cancer,” UNODC’s Hoffman said.

“Authorities treat it in one area, but the roots never disappear, they simply migrate.”

Alongside the scam centres, staffed by a workforce estimated by the UN to be in the hundreds of thousands, the industry is further enabled by new technological developments.

Operators have developed their own online ecosystems with payment applications, encrypted messaging platforms and cryptocurrencies, to get round mainstream platforms that might be targeted by law enforcement.