Pahalgam attack news: ‘Chances of conflict with India rising,’ warns Pak’s defence minister

JMM Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji told news agency PTI that the country should take all necessary steps in order to protect its self-respect against the Pahalgam terror attack and welcomed PM Modi's decision to give free hand to the Indian armed forces.

"Our country should take every step to safeguard its self-respect in response to Pahalgam terror attack which was orchestrated by Pakistan. We welcome the armed forces being given a free hand. The entire world watching is India and it is not right that there are repetitive attacks, and we are tolerating it. I believe that the government must do whatever is required for the safety of country and citizens," she said.

Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that the government should take responsibility for the intelligence failure which led to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, urging that PM Modi should seek the resignation of home minister Amit Shah.

"Security of J-K was already in the hands of the Army, but the attack happened. Action should first be taken on the Home Department, the government is repeatedly making mistakes...the Prime Minister should accept Amit Shah's resignation," Raut said.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that each time that Pakistan has dared to "challenge India's unity and integrity", Indian soldiers courageously rose to the occasion and defeated the enemy to uphold the country's pride.

"India-Pakistan Wars: A Legacy of Indian Valor and Triumph -since independence, India’s brave armed forces have repeatedly stood tall, defending our nation’s sovereignty against Pakistani aggression," the chief minister posted on 'X'.

"Each time Pakistan dared to challenge India’s unity and integrity, our soldiers courageously rose to the occasion, decisively defeating the enemy and upholding India’s pride'', he said.

Home minister Amit Shah has arrived at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence for a meeting.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC, speaking to news agency PTI, said, "The Congress party is behaving like the PR wing of Pakistan. Perhaps Ragini Nayak and the Congress don’t understand that the RSS is a nationalist organisation, while the ISI is a terrorist fund. If they can’t grasp such basic distinctions, how are they going to be the opposition of this country. It’s pathetic that the opposition lacks fundamental understanding of nation-building and how to combat terrorism."

A Pakistani national, returning to Pakistan via Attari border, said, "I came to India with 45-day Visa. It has just been 7-8 days, and the Govt is sending us back. I came here to meet my relatives. They asked us to leave because of this incident in Pahalgam. Whatever happened there is not right."

A Pakistani national returning to Islamabad via the Attari-Wagah border said that she has no idea why they are being asked to leave.

"A terrorist attack took place in Kashmir, but why are we being punished? I have been staying here for the last 41 years. Whatever is happening is not right. We don't stand with them. Their (terrorists) legs should be broken and they should hanged...I appeal to the government that whatever is happening with us is not right," she told news agency ANI.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal acknowledged during a press conference that Congress' letter for special Parliament session has been received and said that the CCPA will have a discussion on it.

BJP MP Sambit Patra slammed Congress for its 'Gayab' post targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that it was not the "INDI alliance, this is the Rawalpindi alliance".

"From today, we will not call them INDI alliance; we are going to call them 'Pindi' alliance. Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the Congress party are the heroes of the Pakistani media. I think that day is not far when the people of this 'Pindi' alliance will contest elections in Pakistan," Patra told news agency ANI.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday called for political unity in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack and urged all parties to support the government's action rather than engage in political point-scoring.

Taking to social media platform X, Mayawati wrote, "All political parties should unite and stand with the government on every step taken in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

"This is not the time for provocative posters or statements aimed at petty politics as such actions are creating confusion among the public, which is not in the national interest," she added.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that Congress is working "as the biggest PR of Pakistan". His remarks came in the backdrop of the row triggered by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders.

"Unfortunately, today in India, Congress is working as the biggest PR of Pakistan...Congress has forgotten the way a responsible opposition must behave. Especially, some Ministers of Karnataka and the CM, the way they are giving statements like agents of Pakistan, the patriots of this country are finding it very unfortunate. Congress is behaving like the most irresponsible opposition country has ever seen," he told news agency ANI.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif over the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. He pressed on the need for justice and accountability.

He also expressed concern over rising tensions between India and Pakistan, warning that "confrontation could have catastrophic consequences."

A tourist from Bengaluru, who is visiting Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, told ANI, "I have come from Bengaluru. We took a tour of Srinagar...there is no problem, it is absolutely safe...we have come here for 10 days, we made the plan 3 months ago, we didn't cancel it."

Along with violating ceasefire across the Line of Control in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, Pakistani forces also opened unprovoked small arms fire across the International border in the Pargwal sector.

After receiving severe backlash from BJP leaders, the Congress party deleted its controversial 'Gayab' post on PM Modi.

The post had shown an image of a kurta-pyjama and black sandals with the word "GAYAB" and the caption "Jimmedariyo ke samay-Gayab" (Missing during the time of responsibility), drawing strong ire from the BJP and its allies.

As many as 786 Pakistani nationals have left India via the Attari-Wagah border point within six days from April 24, a senior official was cited as saying by news agency ANI.

The officer informed that during the same time, a total of 1376 Indians have returned from Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border.

Indian students at the Harvard Kennedy School are protesting the upcoming visit of Pakistani delegates to the campus. They have written to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, requesting him to revoke the visas of Pakistani officials in the aftermath of the recent "faith behind massacre" in the Pahalgam terror attack.

"We are students at Harvard Kennedy School, deeply disturbed by the recent targeted terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, on April 22, 2025. Survivors confirm that attackers demanded religious identification and recitation of Islamic prayers--those who failed or identified as Hindu were killed. This was not an indiscriminate act of violence--it was a faith-based massacre," two students wrote the letter on behalf of the concerned students at Harvard.

"Even more troubling is the response from Pakistani state officials. While the Pakistani Foreign Ministry issued perfunctory condolences, other leaders have simultaneously issued veiled threats toward India and reaffirmed their support for Kashmiri insurgents, the ideological and logistical base for LeT," the letter added.

A tourist from Kolkata, who is visiting Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam a week after the deadly terrorist attack, spoke to news agency ANI about her trip and said, "Before I came here, I was scared, but now it feels great."

"It feels safe here, there is security too. We faced no problems so far. Some of the tourist spots are closed," another tourist said.

At least 120 terrorists gathered every month since December last year across the Line of Control (LoC), both opposite the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, to infiltrate into India and carry out three type of attacks –– regular terrorist shooting incidents, border action team (BAT) operations and improvised explosive device (IED) explosions –– according to central intelligence agency officials.

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Congress on Tuesday asked its leaders to not speak out of order and toe party line on the Pahalgam terror attack, warning them of disciplinary action otherwise.

The warning comes in the wake of comments made by some party leaders that stirred a controversy and allowed the BJP to attack the Congress, accusing it of speaking on behalf of terrorists and of being pro-Pakistan.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday said that the Pahalgam terror attack has rattled the entire humanity and praised J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah for his statement in the assembly.

"I believe what happened in Pahalgam has rattled the entire humanity... No one can understand the pain of terrorism more than Punjab. 25,000-30,000 Punjabis lost their lives to terrorism," Jakhar told ANI.

He said that Abdullah has "touched the hearts of every person" with his statement in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

Union minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy slammed BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao "for not speaking a single word" to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack during his party's public meeting in Warangal.

"Everyone is rising above the politics, region, religion and caste and condemning this act of terrorism. All the state governments and senior leaders of the world are also supporting India," Reddy told reporters.

"A big public meeting of BRS was held during these days in Warangal. But their leader, KCR, has not spoken a single word about Pahalgam...I request the people of Telangana to question and clear the stand of BRS in this matter," he added.

Pakistan once again violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the official statement, during the night of April 29-30, Pakistani Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors.

"Indian Army troops responded swiftly and proportionately," it added.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan resounded Congress call for a special session of the Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack.

"They (opposition) want to know. There should be a discussion on such a huge incident in Pahalgam. It is right," Elangovan told ANI.

"The Parliament should discuss...The people of India should know what has happened," he added.

The body a 23-year-old Pakistani man, who died during treatment in a hospital in Chennai, was brought to Karachi on Tuesday following his mother's appeal to the government for help after the Pahalgam attack.

Syed Aryan Shah, who was suffering from heart and severe lung ailments, had been on life support for respiratory failure at MGM Healthcare hospital in Chennai. He passed away on April 25.