Pahalgam massacre: In first reaction, Pakistan defends terrorism in Kashmir, says 'locals acting against govt

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the country has “nothing to do” with the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that has killed 26 tourists.

“We have absolutely nothing to do with it. We reject terrorism in all its forms and everywhere,” Asif said.

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The defence minister, a close aide of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pinned the blame for the Pahalgam attack on the “locals acting against the government” and a “revolution” and “homegrown forces” within the union territory.

Asif said, “This is all home-grown, there are revolutions in different so-called states against India, not one, not two, but dozens, from Nagaland to Kashmir, in the south, in Chhattisgarh, in Manipur. In all these places, there are revolutions against the Indian government.”

An outfit linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) known as The Resistance Front , has taken responsibility for the attack that took place on April 22 in the afternoon.

The defence minister said that “Hindutva forces” are exploiting minority communities in India. “They are being killed, this is a revolution against that, it is because of this that such activities are happening there,” Asif added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi on Wednesday to hold an emergency meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

26 die in terror attack

The bodies of victims killed in the gruesome terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday were brought to Srinagar on Wednesday, where authorities will hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the police control room, officials said.

“We have received 26 bodies, which were brought to the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar in the wee hours. The bodies will be moved to the police control room (PCR),” an official said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who reached Srinagar on Wednesday night, laid wreaths on the coffins of the victims at a ceremony at the PCR.

First image of terrorist released

Hours after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, a photo of a suspected terrorist has emerged from the scene.

A screengrab from a video taken at the site shows a man in a kurta holding an AK-series assault rifle.