Pahalgam attack live updates: India ‘deeply appreciates’ global support at UN

Former Chhattisgarh Congress MLA UD Minj sparked controversy after a post on his Facebook account said, “India’s defeat is certain in an India-Pakistan war”.

The ruling BJP lashed out at him, while Minj defended himself and claimed that his account had been hacked.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday said that all Pakistani nationals, except one, have been “expelled” from the state in accordance with the orders from the central government.

It said that the last Pakistani citizen will be deported on Wednesday and that they are under constant surveillance by the police and intelligence agencies.

UP became the first state to achieve almost 100 per cent repatriation of Pakistani nationals within 24 hours, it added.

Rishi Bhatt, a tourist from Gujarat, captured a video of him ziplining in Pahalgam when the terror attack broke out in the Baisaran meadow on April 22.

The video purportedly showed Bhatt ziplining and the zipline operator chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ thrice.

Bhatt recalled that before he took the zipline, his wife, son and four other people had already across. “When they were there, this person did not say ‘Allahhu Akbar.’ But when I was on the zipline, he said it thrice, and then the firing started,” he added.

Shashi Tharoor hit back at his Congress colleague Udit Raj and questioned his stance on the Pahalgam terror attack on Monday.

Udit Raj had asked Shashi Tharoor if he was a BJP spokesperson. Reacting to the remark, Tharoor said everybody knows he isn’t a BJP spokesperson, but Raj had been a BJP MP.

“I believe the person who said this is a former BJP MP, so you can ask him, he is better qualified to understand who speaks for the BJP… I think everybody knows that I am not a BJP spokesperson. I am not anyone’s spokesperson. I speak for myself,” Tharoor said.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and briefed him on the security dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir and the army’s readiness after the Pahalgam terror attack.

The 40-minute meeting becomes significant in the backdrop of India considering its military options to target the neighbouring country for its support to terror.

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At the United Nations, India’s deputy permanent representative, Ambassador Yojna Patel said that the global support received by New Delhi in the wake of the Pahalgam attack is a “testimony to the international community’s zero tolerance for terrorism”.

“We reiterate that terrorism in all its forms must be condemned unequivocally. The establishment of the Victims of Terrorism Association (VoTAN) is a significant step. It will create a structured, safe space for victims to be heard and supported,” she said.

Patel added, “India believes that initiatives like VoTAN are essential to strengthening the global response to terrorism, ensuring that victims remain at the center of our collective efforts.”

India’s deputy permanent representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Yojna Patel, told the global body that India “deeply appreciates and values” the solidarity and support extended by global leaders in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

Speaking at UN, she noted that the Pahalgam terror attack represented the largest number of civilian casualties since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

“Having been a victim of cross-border terrorism for decades, India fully understands the long-lasting impact such acts have on victims, their families and society,” she said.

Patel added, “India deeply appreciates and values the strong unequivocal support and solidarity extended by leaders and governments across the world in wake of the recent terrorist attack at Pahalgam, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Pakistani army once again resorted to ceasefire violations across the Line of Control. On the night of April 28-29, they opened unprovoked small arms firing across LoC and targeted areas opposite the Kupwara, Baramulla districts, as well as the Akhnoor sector.

The Indian Army said that it retaliated to the fire in a measured and effective manner.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, while addressing the state assembly’s one-day session on Monday, said that he will not use the moment of this terror attack in Pahalgam to demand statehood.

“I will not use this moment to demand statehood. After Pahalgam, with what face can I ask for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir? We have talked about statehood in the past and will do so in the future too, but it will be shameful on my part if I go and tell the central government that 26 people have died, now give me statehood,” he said.

He also asserted that people’s unity will help fight off terrorism.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly convened on Monday for a special session over the Pahalgam attack, wherein deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary moved a resolution, which described the terror attack as an assault on the ethos of “Kashmiriyat”.

The resolution described the attack as barbaric, inhumane and cowardly. It also noted the sacrifice of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony wallah who was killed trying to stop the terrorists from murdering tourists.