Pahalgam terror attack: PM Narendra Modi cancels scheduled visit to Kanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday from Saudi Arabia, after cutting short his state visit, has cancelled a scheduled programme in Uttar Pradesh.

The development comes a day after 26 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

According to people aware of the details, the prime minister was scheduled to visit Kanpur on Thursday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth ₹20,000 crore.

“However, in light of the recent terror attack that claimed a number of lives, including that of Shubham- a courageous young son of Kanpur, and keeping in mind the somber mood and sentiments of the people, the event has been cancelled,” said a person familiar of the matter.

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The government has put off all celebratory and public engagements in Kanpur as a mark of respect for the deceased.

The prime minister will, however, attend a pre-scheduled official programme in Madhubani, Bihar, on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas, the person quoted above said.

A meeting of the cabinet committee on security is also scheduled later in the day.

A slew of meetings has already taken place since Wednesday morning to take stock of the situation on the ground in Kashmir.

On his arrival from Saudi Arabia, PM Modi was briefed by the NSA Ajit Doval, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and foreign secretary, Vikram Misri at the airport.