Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has thundered out a warning to the terrorists, and their handlers, behind the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed, vowing direct retaliation and that declaring that India will identify and bring to justice all who conspired against it. “Those responsible for such acts will receive a strong response in the near future,” he said.
Hours after meeting the Chief of Defence Staff and the three military chiefs the Defence Minister said “We will not only reach those who attacked us… we will also reach those who hid behind a curtain to carry out this conspiracy. Attackers and their masters will be targeted” and went on to say “We stand united in the face of militancy and India has a zero-tolerance policy (for terrorism). We will take each and every necessary and appropriate step.”
Stating that “India is an ancient nation and we will not be scared of terrorism” the Defence Minister said that the country, and indeed the world, has been left shocked by the horrific attack Tuesday evening, in which tourists and civilians, and a newly-wed Navy officer, were gunned down in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, a picturesque meadow with verdant forests and rolling green hills.
Disturbing videos from after the attack showed women, with blood splattered across their faces, crying after their husbands were shot dead in front of them. One woman, whose husband too was killed in front of her, was told by the sneering militant to “go tell (Prime Minister) Modi”. The Resistance Front, a proxy of banned Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility. And security agencies have released a sketch of three of the militants.
