New Delhi/Madhubani, April 24 – The nation is reeling from the devastating terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 28 civilians, including a Nepali national, on April 22. As grief turns to resolve, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has launched a robust diplomatic and strategic counteroffensive aimed at holding Pakistan accountable for what New Delhi has described as a state-sponsored act of terror.
In a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the Prime Minister, India announced sweeping measures to downgrade diplomatic ties with Pakistan. Among the decisions taken was the expulsion of Pakistan’s defence, naval, and air advisors stationed in New Delhi, who have been declared persona non grata and given seven days to leave the country. India will reciprocally withdraw its military advisors from Islamabad, effectively reducing the strength of both missions from 55 to 30 personnel by May 1.
India has also suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty—long considered a cornerstone of Indo-Pak relations—until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjures” its support for cross-border terrorism. The Attari-Wagah land crossing, the only active checkpoint between the two nations, is to be shut down immediately, with a brief window allowed for the return of Pakistanis already in India.
In a powerful address from Madhubani, Bihar, Prime Minister Modi delivered an unequivocal message to the perpetrators. “India will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth,” Modi declared. He described the attack as a “wound on the heart of the nation” and vowed a response that would be “beyond the imagination” of those behind it. “No one will be spared—neither the ones who pulled the trigger nor the ones who plotted in the shadows,” he said.
Before beginning his speech, PM Modi called for a moment of silence to honour the victims, underscoring the shared pain of the nation. “Some lost a son, some a brother, some a partner… the sorrow is the sorrow of the entire nation,” he said.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other leaders, observes a moment of silence to pay tribute to those who were killed in the #PahalgamTerroristAttack, in Bihar's Madhubani pic.twitter.com/EFzICeu24l
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2025The terror strike, the worst in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack, has prompted widespread security alerts across India. In Mumbai, coastal surveillance has been tightened, with coordination underway between local police, the Navy, and the Coast Guard.
