10 Terrorists' Homes In Kashmir Razed Amid Crackdown After Pahalgam Attack

Homes of 10 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir have been turned into rubble as India cracks down hard in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 25 tourists and a Kashmiri dead. Security forces have razed homes of 10 local terrorists in the past six days and the crackdown is likely to continue. The terrorists whose houses have been demolished so far include Lashkar-e-Taiba's Adil Hussain Thoker, Zakir Ahmad Ganai, Amir Ahmad Dar and Asif Sheikh, Shahid Ahmad Kuttey, Ahsan ul Haq Amir, Jaish-e-Mohammed's Amir Nazeer Wani, Jameel Ahmad Sher Gojri, The Resistance Front's Adnan Safi Dar and Farooq Ahmad Tedwa.

According to security officials, Ahsan ul Haq "trained in Pakistan" in 2018 and recently "infiltrated" into the Valley; Lashkar commander Shahid Ahmad Kuttay has been involved in many anti-national activities; and Zakir Ahmad Ganie was under surveillance for alleged involvement in multiple terror-related activities. Farooq Ahmad Tedwa, officials said, has been operating from Pakistan. Thoker is suspected to be directly involved in last Tuesday's attack.

A police spokesperson has said the demolitions and the searches are aimed at dismantling the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

Twenty-five tourists and a local pony ride operator were shot dead in cold blood at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon. At least five terrorists were involved in the brutal attack and the survivors have said the victims were asked their religion and shot when they said they were Hindus.

The cold-blooded killings have shocked and enraged the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers and our spirit will never be broken.

"The whole country is with the bereaved families. The government is trying its best to ensure the well-being of those injured. Someone has lost a son, someone has lost a brother, someone has lost life partner. Someone spoke Bengali, someone spoke Kannada, someone was Marathi, someone was Odia, someone was Gujarati and someone was Bihar's son. From Kargil to Kanyakumari, there is grief and rage. This attack was not just on innocent tourists; the country's enemies have shown the audacity to attack India's soul," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said the terrorists who carried out the attack and those who plotted it would "get a punishment they cannot imagine". "The time has come to raze whatever is left of the terror haven. The will of 140 crores will break the back of the masters of terror," he said, his words directed at Pakistan, which is known to have backed acts of terror on Indian soil," he said.

India has taken multiple diplomatic steps against Pakistan in the wake of the attack. The Indus Water Treaty has been put on hold and India has suspended visa services to Pakistani nationals.

Pakistan responded that it "shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to Simla Agreement in abeyance". This is significant because the Simla Agreement, signed after the 1971 war, makes provision for the ceasefire line to be known as the Line of Control and if Pakistan suspends it, it will raise a question on the LoC's validity.