SRINAGAR: India on Thursday briefed top diplomats from key global powers on the Pahalgam terror attack, attributing the massacre to cross-border terrorism and reaffirming its policy of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism, media reports said.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reportedly apprised envoys from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, Germany, and several other nations about the details of the attack, which left 26 civilians dead and several others injured. Diplomats from Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Norway, Italy, Indonesia, and Malaysia were also present at the briefing.
The development comes a day after India announced a series of retaliatory measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attachés, the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and the immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met on Wednesday and finalised the punitive steps, citing credible cross-border linkages to the Pahalgam terror strike. Misri told diplomats that evidence of such connections was presented in the CCS meeting, media reports stated.
The new measures effectively suspend one of the last remaining diplomatic channels between India and Pakistan, plunging already strained bilateral ties to a fresh low.
Amid growing national outrage, Prime Minister Modi on Thursday addressed public in Madhubani, Bihar, vowing to track down and punish the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.
“From the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world that India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth,” Modi said. “India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
He also expressed gratitude to the international community for standing with India. “Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank the people of various countries and their leaders who have stood with us in these times,” he said.
The Pahalgam attack on Tuesday, in which terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the scenic Baisaran Valley, has triggered shock and condemnation across India and the international community. Many global leaders, including those from the US, France, UK, Iran, and Russia, have expressed solidarity with India.
