New Delhi:Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that orchestrators of Pahalgam attack will soon see a “loud and clear response.”
Expressing solidarity with the families of Pahalgam attack victims, the Defence Minister, said, “Yesterday, in Pahalgam, targeting a particular religion, terrorists executed a cowardly act, in which we lost many innocent lives… I want to assure the countrymen that the government will take every necessary step. We will not only reach the perpetrators of this act but also the actors behind the scenes… The accused will soon see a loud and clear response, I want to assure the country.”
He said, “We are deeply distressed. I express my condolences to the families who lost their loved ones… I want to repeat India’s resolve against terrorism. We have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism… I want to assure the countrymen that the government will take every necessary step to eliminate terror.”
The Defence Minister reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a nearly two-and-half-hour meeting that was attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Rajnath Singh also cancelled his 2-day scheduled visit to Ladakh in view of the situation arising out of the terror attack in Pahalgam. Singh was to visit Ladakh on April 25 and 26.
Militants struck Kashmir’s Baisaran meadow above Pahalgam at dusk on 22 April 2025, mowing down holiday‑makers walking the narrow forest track back to town. The attack left 26 tourists dead and at least 17 injured, in the deadliest assault on civilians in the region since 2000.
The carnage triggered an unprecedented security clampdown: hundreds of troops fanned out across the Lidder valley, checkpoints sealed roads.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi convened the Cabinet Committee on Security; the next day New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, curtailed visas for Pakistanis, and ordered diplomats out—measures underscoring India’s fury at what it calls Pakistan‑backed militancy. Tourism, which had just rebounded after peaceful local polls, has again ground to a halt as investigators hunt the fugitive cell.
