After the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar for an emergency visit.
He went straight to the Raj Bhavan, where he held a high-level meeting to review the security situation. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were present at the meeting.
Before leaving for Kashmir, Shah held a security meeting in Delhi at his residence. Top officials like Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Deka, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh attended. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat and Army officers joined via video call.
Sources suggest there may have been an intelligence failure, as the attack happened around the time US Vice-President JD Vance was visiting India. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe may be launched soon.
The attack, which killed 26 people, shocked the nation.
President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah all condemned the attack. President Murmu called it “shocking and painful” and said such acts are “inhuman and unpardonable.” Shah posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressing grief and anger, and vowed that those responsible would face the harshest consequences.
Interestingly, the attack occurred just days after Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir called Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and said Pakistan would “not forget it.” He also defended the two-nation theory, the basis for the 1947 Partition.
The timing of the Pahalgam attack reminded many of the Chittisinghpora massacre in 2000, which took place one day before US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India. In that attack, 35 Sikh villagers were killed in Anantnag.
Similarly, Donald Trump’s 2020 visit to India had coincided with the Delhi riots.
The recent Pahalgam attack also comes during Kashmir’s peak tourist season and while registration is ongoing for the Amarnath Yatra, raising fresh concerns about security in the region.
Be the first to comment