Exit-India deadline for Pakistanis ends; firing along LoC intensifies
New Delhi/Srinagar, April 27: Terrorists and their backers carried out the Pahalgam attack to destroy Kashmir again as they did not like the return of peace and prosperity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday and vowed the “harshest” response to the “perpetrators and conspirators”.
As the prime minister, in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address, spoke of a “decisive battle” against terrorism, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir razed more houses of terrorists and rounded up their sympathisers in a stepped-up crackdown on terror ecosystem after the Pakistan-linked ultras on Tuesday shot dead 26 people, mostly tourists, in cold blood.
Sunday was the last day for Pakistanis having short-term visas in 12 categories to leave India and a long queue of vehicles was seen at the Attari-Wagah border crossing. As many as 537 Pakistani nationals, including nine diplomats and officials, left India in four days from the border point since April 24 after the government announced the visa revocation the previous day, officials said.
A total of 850 Indians, including 14 diplomats and officials, have returned from Pakistan through the crossing located in Punjab in the last four days. Some of the Pakistanis might have left India through airports too, the officials said, pointing out that since India does not have direct air connectivity with Pakistan, they might have left for other countries. The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26.
NIA takes over Pahalgam terror strike probe
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally took over the Pahalgam terrorist attack probe, registering a case in Jammu on Sunday. Several teams of the agency are involved in searching for evidence and questioning eyewitnesses, including relatives of victims, to uncover the terror conspiracy, officials said.
Indian Navy ready for ‘offensive’ strikes
While the Pakistan military has been put on high alert following India’s promise that it will hunt down those involved in the April 22 strike, the Indian Navy on Sunday said its warships have successfully carried out multiple anti-ship firings, revalidating their readiness for long-range precision “offensive” strikes.
“Indian Navy ships undertook successful multiple anti-ship firings to revalidate and demonstrate the readiness of platforms, systems and crew for a long-range precision offensive strike,” the Indian Navy said in a brief statement.
Firing along LoC
As the tensions between the two countries soared, the Pakistani military engaged in unprovoked firing along the Line of Control in the areas opposite Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors for the third consecutive night, military sources said.
The Pakistan military was engaged in similar firing on Thursday and Friday nights as well. “Our troops responded effectively with appropriate small arms fire,” said an Indian official.
Pakistan wants Russian, Chinese involvement in Pahalgam probe
Pakistan wants involvement of Russia and China in investigating the Pahalgam terror attack, according to a media report.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, “I think Russia or China can play a very, very positive role in this crisis and they can even set up an investigation team that should be assigned this job to investigate whether India or Modi is lying or he is telling the truth. Let an international team find out.”
He said Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also proposed conducting an international probe. (Agencies)