PM Modi Condemns Terror Attack In J&K, Says "Evil Agenda Will Never Succeed"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the terror attack on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and vowed to bring the terrorists - who opened fire on tourists enjoying the sunshine and greenery of Baisaran Valley - to justice. "Those behind this heinous act will not be spared... their evil agenda will never succeed," Mr Modi said in a brief statement on X.

The Prime Minister also offered his condolences to the family and loved ones of the one person whose death has been confirmed so far. All possible assistance will be provided, he stressed.

"Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger."

Shortly before his X post the Prime Minister - on a State visit to Saudi Arabia - spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and directed him to visit the site of the attack to review the situation.

I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.

Those behind this heinous act will be brought…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2025

Mr Shah then held a special meeting at his Delhi home, which was attended, via video links, by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and senior officials from J&K Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, a paramilitary security agency.

The Home Minister said he had been left "anguished" by the attack.

READ | PM Dials Amit Shah After Terror Attack, Home Minister To Visit Srinagar

"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," he said. "Will shortly leave for Srinagar to hold an urgent security review meeting with all the agencies."

Last month, speaking in Parliament, Mr Shah had reiterated the Modi government's zero tolerance policy towards terrorism, and lambasted previous dispensations for being "soft on terror".

'Was Just Having Snack...'

After the attack, distressing visuals emerged on social media showing several women pleading for help. "We were having a snack when a person came and shot my husband," one said as another, with blood splattered on her face, looked helplessly at the man recording the video.

VIDEO | J&K Terror Victim Pleads For Help, Says "Save My Husband"

Another woman, standing next to a severely injured man, pleaded, "Please save my husband. For god's sake, save him". The heartbreak continues as another cry for help was heard, "Please... please help." 

'An Abomination... Animals'

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has joined the PM and Home Minister in condemning the attack. He too declared himself "anguished". "This dastardly attack on innocent civilians is an act of cowardice and highly reprehensible..." he said on X.

J&K Chief Minister Abdullah - who led his National Conference to a big win in last year's election, the first Assembly poll following the centre's scrapping of special status (i.e., as under Article 370) in 2019 - was more forceful in his condemnation, calling it "an abomination".

READ | "Larger Than Anything...": Omar Abdullah On J&K Terror Attack

"The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman, and unworthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough. I send my sympathies to the families of the deceased," he said.

Congress Demands Action

Rahul Gandhi lamented the "cowardly" terror attack and demanded the centre take accountability instead of making "hollow claims" about restoring normalcy by ridding the former state of terrorism.

READ | "Instead Of Hollow Claims...": Congress' Message To Centre

Mr Gandhi said reports of the attack on tourists were extremely heartbreaking.

"... instead of making hollow claims on the situation being normal in J&K, the government should now take accountability and take concrete steps, so such barbaric incidents do not happen in the future, and innocent Indians do not lose their lives like this," he said.

Renewal Of Attacks On Civilians?

Today's horrific attack has been flagged as a possible return to the spate of civilian killings that rocked J&K last year. One of the deadliest of those attacks was in October, when six construction workers and a doctor were killed after terrorists opened fire at a labour camp in Ganderbal district.

READ | 6 Workers, Doctor Killed In 'Dastardly' Terror Attack In J&K's Ganderbal

The week before, the body of a labourer from Bihar was found in Shopian district.

The attacks prompted the rolling out a new security matrix to counter the targeting of civilians. The new grid, the government had said, will ensure a 'surprise' element essential for any counter-terror op.

By November the government had said J&K recorded a decline of over 70 per cent in terror-related activities in the past five years, but civilian killings continue to remain a major concern.

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