Modi vows to punish Kashmiri attackers as India closes land border with Pakistan

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 7:41 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed connected Thursday to pursue, way and punish terrorists and their backers successful a beardown absorption to a deadly militant onslaught connected tourists successful Kashmir, wherever constabulary person identified 2 of the gunmen arsenic Pakistani.

At a code successful India's eastbound authorities of Bihar, Modi folded his hands successful supplication successful remembrance for the 26 men who were
changeable and killed successful the Pahalgam portion of Indian Kashmir, exhorting thousands gathered astatine the venue to bash the same.

"We volition prosecute them to the ends of the earth," Modi said, referring to the attackers, without referring to their identities oregon naming Pakistan.

His comments are, however, bound to further inflame ties betwixt the nuclear-armed rivals aft India downgraded ties with Pakistan precocious connected Wednesday, suspending a six-decade aged h2o pact and closing the lone onshore borderline crossing betwixt the neighbours.

Pakistan's Power Minister Awais Lekhari called the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty "an enactment of h2o warfare; a cowardly, amerciable move."

Protest astatine embassy

Police successful Indian-administered Kashmir published notices connected Thursday naming 3 suspected militants "involved in" the onslaught and announced rewards for accusation starring to their arrest.

Two of the 3 suspected militants are Pakistani nationals, the notices said. They did not accidental however the men were identified.

India and Pakistan power abstracted parts of Kashmir and some assertion it successful full.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said connected Wednesday a furniture committee connected information was briefed connected the cross-border linkages of the attack, the worst connected civilians successful the state successful astir 2 decades.

Misri, the apical diplomat successful India's overseas ministry, did not connection immoderate impervious of the linkages oregon supply immoderate much details.

New Delhi volition besides propulsion retired its defence advisers successful Pakistan and trim unit size astatine its ngo successful Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said.

Modi has besides called for an all-party gathering with absorption parties to little them connected the government's effect to the attack.

Dozens of protesters gathered extracurricular the Pakistan embassy successful New Delhi's diplomatic enclave connected Thursday, shouting slogans and pushing against constabulary barricades.

Pakistan officials meet

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to clasp a gathering of the National Security Committee to sermon Pakistan's response, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said successful a station connected X.

The Indus treaty, mediated by the World Bank and signed successful 1960, regulated the sharing of waters of the Indus River and its tributaries betwixt India and Pakistan. It has withstood 2 wars betwixt the neighbours since past and terrible strains successful ties astatine different times.

Diplomatic relations betwixt the 2 countries were anemic adjacent earlier the latest measures were announced arsenic Pakistan had expelled India's envoy and not posted its ain ambassador successful New Delhi aft India revoked the semi-autonomous presumption of Kashmir successful 2019.

Tuesday's onslaught is seen arsenic a setback to what Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party person projected arsenic a large accomplishment successful revoking the peculiar presumption Jammu and Kashmir authorities enjoyed and bringing bid and improvement to the long-troubled Muslim-majority region.

WATCH l Deadliest onslaught successful country successful astatine slightest 2 decades:

India has often accused Islamic Pakistan of engagement successful an insurgency successful Kashmir, but Islamabad says it lone offers diplomatic and motivation enactment to a request for self-determination.

Tens of thousands of radical person been killed successful Kashmir since the uprising began successful 1989, but it has tapered disconnected successful caller years and tourism has surged successful the scenic region.