Rahul Gandhi to visit J&K today after Pahalgam terror attack

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will visit Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

This visit comes after the Congress MP cut short his official US trip and returned to New Delhi early Thursday morning.

Earlier on Thursday, the Central government convened an all-party meeting to deliberate on the security situation and formulate a collective response to the attack.

Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.

In the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and has closed the integrated Attari Check Post.

India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week.

India has further decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours.

The Indian government has also decided to suspend visa services for Pakistani nationals, effective immediately. All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals will stand revoked, effective from April 27, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press statement.

Meanwhile, families of victims of the Pahalgam terror attack mourned the loss of their loved ones as they urged the government to take strong action against the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen while leaving several others injured, in one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

--IANS

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