MADHUBANI, 24 Apr: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday vowed to punish the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those part of the conspiracy beyond their imagination, asserting that the country’s enemies targeted not merely unarmed tourists but dared to attack India’s soul.
Time has come to erase whatever little ground terrorists are left with, Modi said at a public meeting here in Bihar to mark the National Panchayati Raj Day.
Modi spoke briefly in English and said, “Friends, today from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
Paying condolences to the victims and their families, he said citizens across the country are in mourning over the brutal manner in which terrorists killed 26 innocent civilians in Kashmir on 22 April. The nation stands with their families, he said.
Modi, other leaders on the dais and the crowd observed silence to pay homage to the victims of the attack at the beginning of the prime minister’s speech.
India had on Wednesday downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.
The gunning down of tourists by terrorists has sparked outrage across the country and a demand for decisive action from the Modi government, which is identified with a muscular stand on the plank of national security. (PTI)