In 'Mann Ki Baat', PM Modi's Big Message Over Pahalgam Attack

Every Indian's blood is boiling and each one of them is feeling the pain of those who lost their own in the terror attack at Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, appealing to the country to remain united during this time of crisis.

Addressing the country in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio programme, the Prime Minister said the Pahalgam attack shows the frustration and cowardice of the "masters of terror". "Peace in Kashmir was returning. There was vibrancy in schools and colleges, unprecedented speed in development work, democracy was becoming strong, a record increase in the number of tourists, incomes were increasing and new opportunities were emerging for the youth. The enemies of the country, of Jammu and Kashmir, did not like this," he said.

The Prime Minister said the April 22 attack had pained every Indian, irrespective of the state he/she is from or the language they speak. "I feel every India's blood is boiling on seeing pictures of the terror attack," he said.

The whole world, the Prime Minister said, was with India. "I assure the bereaved families that they will get justice. Those behind this attack will get the harshest punishment. Terrorists and their masters plotted this conspiracy because they want to destroy Kashmir," he said.

"The unity of 140 crore Indians is the biggest strength in this war against terror. This unity is the basis of our decisive war against terror. We have to strengthen our ideals to face this challenge. We have to show our willpower as a nation. The whole world is watching how the country is speaking in one voice," he said.

Twenty-five tourists and a Kashmiri man were shot dead in cold blood at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on April 22. This was one of the most ghastly terror attacks the Kashmir Valley has seen.

Prime Minister 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 at a rally in Bihar last week.

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.