Jammu and Kashmir Pahalgam Terror Attack Highlights: CAIT announces complete halt of trade with Pak; 509 Pakistanis exit India as visa deadlines end

Chief Minister Reddy, while addressing the crowd, issued a strong statement, urging India to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). ‘’We urge you to move forward, and the 140 crore people of India will stand by you. Divide Pakistan into two and merge PoK with India. We are all with you. This is not the time for politics,’’ Reddy stated, receiving cheers from the participants, as quoted by ANI.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta tweets, “The Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India, has revoked all visas issued to Pakistani Nationals, except Medical, Diplomatic & Long-Term visas, with effect from 27th of April, 2025. The existing medical visas shall also stand invalid after 29th of April, 2025. No new visas will be issued to Pakistani Nationals henceforward. Delhi Government is ensuring strict compliance with these orders. Every violation is being sincerely tracked, and necessary action will follow.”

A Pakistani national on her way back to Pakistan says, “We had come here on 1.5 month visa to attend a relative’s wedding, and are returning within 15 days… Whatever happened was wrong, someone else did this act and people like us have to pay for it… We had come here after 10 years… Whoever did it ran away but we are facing the consequences…”

Visuals of a destroyed house in Matalhama village, allegedly linked to a terrorist.

Speaking on the impact on trade between India and Pakistan following the countermeasures taken by both the countries recently, Dr Ajay Sahai, DG & CEO, FIEO says, “India did not have good trade relations with Pakistan… Disruption in trade is not going to have any impact on India. On the contrary, Pakistan may have to look into where they import Pharma and Organic chemicals, which are the two main products which we were exporting to Pakistan because they have that advantage of proximity, and probably that advantage will no longer be with Pakistan now.”

In London, members of the Indian community staged a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in London, condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

A member of the Indian diaspora says, “We are here to support the Indians. I’m Indian Jewish, and we have a big Jewish community over here, which always supports India because we have the same enemies; Islamic radicalisation is there all over the world. Israel faced on October 7th (2023), and when I saw that it happened in India, it reminded me of that. Terrorists came and killed innocent people, and this terrorism is fed by the Pakistani Islamic regime, and we will be here and will support India all the time. PM Modi is doing great work, and I hope he does something to stop this terrorism. I was caught in a bomb blast in Bombay in the 90s. I escaped, but I know from personal experience how a bomb or a terrorist activity could affect people. We are here and we will always be together.”

Speaking on the Pahalgam terrorist attack, US President Donald Trump says, “I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan, and they’ve had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for a thousand years, probably longer than that. That was a bad one (terrorist attack). There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. It’s been the same, but I am sure they’ll figure it out one way or the other. I know both leaders. There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”

Pakistani forces have started unprovoked fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, violating the current ceasefire agreement, a defence official stated.

India has informed the international community that credible intelligence, technical evidence, and eyewitness accounts have confirmed Pakistan’s direct link in the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

Read the full report here

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the terror attack that happened in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The 15-member council also highlighted the importance of holding those responsible, including the planners, sponsors, and perpetrators, and bringing them to justice.

US President Donald Trump said that India and Pakistan have experienced longstanding tensions but expressed hopefulness that the two countries will manage to resolve their issues.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Rome, Trump stated, “I have a very close relationship with both India and Pakistan. Their conflict, especially over Kashmir, has been ongoing for about 1,000 years — maybe even longer. Yesterday’s incident was particularly bad, with over 30 people affected.”

According to PTI report, he believed that India and Pakistan would find a way to solve their differences ”one way or the other.”

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi held a candle light rally against Pahalgam terror attack in Hyderabad on Friday.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar met with the family members of Santosh Jagdale, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, in Pune.

The mortal remains of J Ali Shaikh, who succumbed to injuries after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, have been brought to Kolkata Airport.

Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday successfully conducted a long-duration Active Cooled Scramjet Subscale Combustor ground test for over 1,000 seconds at the newly built state-of-the-art Scramjet Connect Test Facility in Hyderabad.

“Hypersonic Cruise Missile is a class of weapons that can travel more than five times the speed of sound (> 6100 Kmph) for long duration and is powered by Air breathing engine. Air breathing propulsion systems, having supersonic combustion, plays a critical role for long-duration cruise conditions,” the release read.

India has run a series of missile tests over the past two days — gaining additional prominence amid increasingly strained diplomatic ties with Pakistan.

“100 per cent, this (breaking ties with Pakistan) should be done. Strict action is necessary. It is no joke that such things happen every year. Terrorism cannot be tolerated,” he told ANI.

“FCDO advises against all travel within 10km of the India-Pakistan border. The Wagah-Attari border is closed,” the UK advisory said.

“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbours of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilisational ties. Like other neighbours, we consider them our foremost priority. Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time,” Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the process of identifying Pakistani citizens in the state has been accelerated. This decision comes in the wake of a series of measures taken during the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Chief Minister further stated that the Director General of Police has been directed to take immediate action to identify Pakistani citizens residing in Uttarakhand and ensure their prompt repatriation.

The Indian government has issued a strict 48-hour deadline for all Pakistani nationals to leave the country, prompting a wave of departures through the Attari-Wagah land route in Punjab’s Amritsar on Friday. Several Pakistanis have sought leniency after facing difficulty in complying with the deadline.

Read more: Pakistani nationals make desperate appeals after Centre’s 48-hour deadline to leave India following Pahalgam attack

“Had a telecon with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia. Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack and its cross-border linkages,” the External Affairs Minister wrote on X.

“We don’t know what it is going to be, let’s see. Such a big incident has taken place here, especially against the Kashmiris…we don’t know the agenda (of special session)” said J&K People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone .

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi joins the candlelight protest organised by the party against the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Visuals shared online also showed the Congress MP paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Smriti.

“A roadmap was prepared in the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Three options were discussed in the meeting. The government is working on short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures so that not even a drop of water goes to Pakistan. Soon, desilting of rivers will be done to stop the water and divert it,” said Union Minister of Jal Shakti, CR Paatil.

India had suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

“We stand in solidarity with India in the wake of the horrific Islamist terrorist attack, targeting and killing 26 Hindus in Pahalgam. My prayers and deepest sympathies are with those who lost a loved one, PM Narendra Modi, and with all the people of India. We are with you and support you as you hunt down those responsible for this heinous attack,” US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X.

Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights this week amid escalating tensions — prompting IndiGo to announce changes to its schedule. The airline said around 50 international routes would require longer sectors and face “slight schedule adjustments”.

“With the same restrictions and limited rerouting options, unfortunately Almaty and Tashkent are outside the operational range of IndiGo’s current fleet. Hence flights to Almaty stand cancelled from 27th of April until at least 7th of May and to Tashkent from 28th of April until 7th May 2025,” it added.

Hyderabad markets were shut on Friday as traders observe bandh over the Pahalgam terror attack.

“Today, 191 Pakistani nationals left for Pakistan from the Attari border and 287 Indian Nationals have returned from Pakistan. Yesterday, 28 Pakistani nationals left for Pakistan from the Attari border. A total of 229 Pakistani nationals left for Pakistan from the Attari border in the past two days. A total of 392 Indian Nationals have returned from Pakistan in the past two days,” said Punjab Police Protocol Officer Arun Mahal.