New Delhi: Expressing sorrow over the dastardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday called for “building the broad social consensus against terror that existed in the past”.
The Congress parliamentary party chief stressed the need for a deep resolve to defeat these violent forces while asserting that the entire country stood united against terror.
Terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
The 26 dead included two foreigners and two locals, a high-ranking official said without getting into details. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the toll was still being ascertained and described the attack as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
“I am deeply saddened and devastated to learn of the dastardly terror attack on innocent tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region. Resorting to violence is an act of cowardice and needs to be condemned in no uncertain terms,” she said in a statement.
“I understand the pain of families who have lost their loved ones and extend my deepest condolences to them. I also pray for the complete and speedy recovery of those injured,” Gandhi said.
Asserting that the entire country stands united against terror, she said, “We share a deep resolve to defeat these divisive and violent forces. We need to work to build the broad social consensus against terror that existed in the past.”
It is imperative that the safety of our citizens is ensured and peace is restored in the region, Gandhi added.
The attack, which comes as US Vice President J D Vance is visiting India and just as the tourist and trekking season is picking up momentum, took place around 3 pm, officials said.
Baisaran, about six kilometres from the resort town of Pahalgam, is an expansive meadow ringed by dense pine forests and mountains and a favourite with visitors from across the country and the world.
Armed terrorists came into the grassland, dubbed “mini Switzerland’, and started firing at tourists milling around eateries, taking pony rides or just picnicking, officials and eyewitnesses said.
