Pahalgam attack: PM Modi lands in India; convenes emergency meeting at Delhi airport with NSA Doval, EAM Jaishankar

Immediately upon his arrival in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting at the airport with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in view of the unprecedented attack that claimed at least 28 lives in Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday.

Modi cut short his state visit to Saudi Arabia and rushed back to India after news of more than 20 people, mostly Indian tourists, being attacked by terrorists surfaced early Tuesday.

At least 26 people were killed and 20 others injured in a terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. The death toll reached 28, ET reported on Wednesday.

It is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.

Also read: Pahalgam terror attack: Anantnag Police launches 24/7 emergency help desk for tourists

Pahalgam horror: Terrorists open fire at tourists
A senior official told news agency PTI that the victims included two foreign nationals and two local residents, although further details have yet to be released.

Following the attack, Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar to assess the situation and chaired a high-level meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and top security officials.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Shah over the phone and urged him to take all necessary steps in response to the incident.

Also read: India condemns Pahalgam terror attack as leaders call for justice; from PM Modi to Rahul Gandhi, see who said what

LeT proxy, The Resistance Front, claims responsibility
The attack occurred in Baisaran, a meadow reachable only on foot or by ponies, where a group of tourists had gone earlier in the day.

The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the assault as the news began to circulate, PTI reported.

Citing security officials, PTI added that preliminary intelligence suggests the militants may have infiltrated from the Kishtwar region in Jammu and navigated the mountainous terrain to reach Baisaran via Kokernag in south Kashmir. The remote location and difficult landscape are believed to have facilitated their movement and planning.

Prime Minister Modi condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the victims' families.

“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 to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.