Harvard University hosts ‘Pakistan Conference’
A recent “Pakistan Conference” hosted by Harvard University’s South Asia Institute has sparked significant backlash from students, who criticised the event for potentially legitimising state-backed terror narratives on campus.
The controversy escalated following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which students described as a “targeted, religion-based massacre.”
While speaking with ANI, Harvard student Surabi Tomar on Harvard’s South Asia Institute hosting a ‘Pakistan Conference,’ said, “The horrible attack in Pahalgam was a targeted, religion-based massacre. When Harvard invites officials, especially officials who have ideologically justified such acts, it risks legitimising the state-backed terror narratives on our campus. This is the reason why we thought that we should take some action or ask people to take some action.”
Elaborating more on the event, Tomar said, “It was a pre-planned event, and it was a coincidence. However, even given the coincidence, we do not think that it is correct for anyone, especially a university like Harvard, to legitimise such voices, especially when they in their country are trying to justify such acts and not condemning them.”
PM Modi to chair CCS meet shortly
Home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh arrive at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence for a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). This is the second CCS meeting since the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
‘We were told to stop work, go back home’: J&K local on ceasefire violation by Pakistan
“3-4 rounds were fired last night at around 8:30-9 pm. We were doing our work when we got a call to stop everything and go back to our homes. After that, nothing happened,” said Raju Singh, a native of Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ankur Singh, another local, said, “10-12 rounds were fired last night. The Indian Army also retaliated to the firing. This ceasefire violation took place after 7-8 years. We are used to all of this. We are on high alert right now.”
‘Congress working as biggest PR of Pakistan’: BJP’s Tejasvi Surya
“Unfortunately, today in India, Congress is working as the biggest PR of Pakistan .Congress has forgotten how a responsible opposition must behave. Especially, some Ministers of Karnataka and the CM, the way they are giving statements like agents of Pakistan, the patriots of this country are finding it very unfortunate. Congress is behaving like the most irresponsible opposition country has ever seen,” says BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.
Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi visit, posters target him for ‘pro-Pakistan’ stand
Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi visit on Wednesday, posters were put up in the Congress MP’s former Lok Sabha constituency targeting him and leaders of the party-led INDIA bloc for taking a “pro-Pakistan” stand amid escalating tensions with the neighbouring country over last week’s terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Gandhi is on a two-day visit to Rae Bareli, which he currently represents in the Lok Sabha, and Amethi. He visited Rae Bareli on Tuesday.
CRPF soldier’s Pakistani wife sent home
A Pakistani national who married a CRPF jawan was sent back from Jammu for deportation to her country of origin, officials said on Tuesday. Minal Khan, who was accompanied by her husband Munir Khan, a resident of Gharota, left Jammu for the Wagah border. She had married him online, they said.
She urged the government to separate those who married in the country from their children. “We should be allowed to stay with the family,” Minal Khan said.
She, however, added, “We condemn the barbaric killings of innocents in the attack. They should be punished severely.”
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: 786 Pakistanis leave India; 1,376 Indians back from Pakistan
As many as 786 Pakistan nationals have left India through the Attari-Wagah border point within six days beginning April 24, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The officer informed that during the same time, a total of 1376 Indians have returned from Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border.
On April 24, the government announced that Pakistani nationals should leave India by April 27, and those with medical visas had until April 29 to do so. Those having diplomatic, official and long-term visas were excluded from the ‘Leave India’ notice. The deadline for Pakistanis holding any of the 12 categories of short-term visas ended on Sunday.
The restriction on the stay of Pakistani nationals came after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: ‘Was scared, now feels great’: Tourist from Kolkata visits Pahalgam
“Before I came here, I was scared, but now it feels great,” a tourist from Kolkata, who is visiting Pahalgam, told news agency ANI.
Another tourist said, “It feels safe here, there is security too. We faced no problems so far. Some of the tourist spots are closed.”
What was once a bustling hub with 5,000 to 7,000 tourists daily has seen a dramatic dip to just 50-100 visitors in the days following the tragedy.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan across International Border as well: Indian Army
Further to the previous update about 29-30 April (night), unprovoked small arms firing by the Pakistan Army was also reported from their posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, as well as across the International Border in the Pargwal Sector. Indian Army troops responded appropriately: Indian Army
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Pakistan violates ceasefire for sixth consecutive night
During the night of 29-30 April, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Indian Army troops responded swiftly and proportionately: Indian Army
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Parliament should discuss Pahalgam terror attack, says DMK’s TKS Elangovan
“They (opposition) want to know. There should be a discussion on such a huge incident in Pahalgam. It is right,” Elangovan told ANI. “The Parliament should discuss…The people of India should know what has happened,” he added.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Pakistan’s jailed former PM Imran Khan terms Pahalgam attack ‘deeply disturbing and tragic’
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called the Pahalgam terror attack “deeply disturbing and tragic,” urging India to respond with restraint and responsibility in the aftermath of the incident.
“Loss of human life in Pahlgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families. When the False Flag Palwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India but India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after Pahlgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan. Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as “nuclear flashpoint.” Peace is our priority but it should not be mistaken as cowardice. Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as My Government, backed by whole nation, did in 2019. I have always emphasized the importance of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions,” he said.
“I have also been highlighting the fact that India led by RSS ideology is a grave threat, not only to the region but beyond it. Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fueled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom. Sadly, the nation has been divided by an illegitimate government imposed through fraudulent Form-47 results. And yet, ironically, Narendra Modi’s aggression has united the people of Pakistan in one voice against Indian hostility. While we reject this fake regime, we stand firmly as one Pakistani nation and strongly condemn Modi’s war-mongering and his dangerous ambitions that threaten regional peace. Needless to say, to win the war against an external enemy, the nation must first be united. It is high time to put a halt to all actions that are further polarizing the nation. The state’s excessive focus on political victimisation at this critical time is deepening internal divisions and undermining the nation’s collective ability to confront external threats. It is naive to expect any strong stance from self-serving figures like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari. They will never speak out against India because their illegal wealth and business interests lie abroad. They profit from foreign investments, and to protect those financial interests, they remain silent in the face of foreign aggression and baseless allegations against Pakistan. Their fear is simple: that Indian lobbies might freeze their offshore assets if they dare to speak the truth,” he added.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: US reaching out to India, Pakistan urging them ‘not to escalate situation’
“That is correct. The secretary also gave me a note about that as well. So we are reaching out regarding the Kashmir situation, India and Pakistan. He said we are reaching out to both parties and telling them not to escalate the situation. The secretary expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow. He is encouraging other national leaders and foreign ministers to reach out to the countries on this issue. So as I’ve noted, every day action is being taken in this case, the secretary is speaking directly to his counterparts in India and Pakistan,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response, India will be fully responsible, says Pakistani information minister Attaullah Tarar
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext. Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region!!” he said.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: 48 tourist spots in Kashmir closed after Pahalgam attack
In the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack near Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives—25 of them tourists—the Jammu and Kashmir government has closed 48 out of 87 tourist destinations across the Kashmir Valley. Authorities have intensified security measures, deploying paramilitary forces at strategic points, but nearly half of the region’s popular tourist spots remain off-limits due to heightened safety concerns. Among the closed sites are Kounsarnag Lake in Kulgam’s Pir Panjal range, the Aharbal waterfalls, the Doodhpathri meadows in Budgam, and the picturesque valleys of Bangus in Kupwara and Verinag in Anantnag.
National Conference MLA Sajad Shafi on Tuesday alleged that the mother of Shaurya Chakra awardee Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh—a J&K Special Operations Group constable who was killed in action in 2022—was among those being removed from villages in Uri as part of a government-led deportation drive targeting individuals from Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, Baramulla Police refuted the claim, calling it “false, baseless, and categorically denied,” and dismissed circulating social media reports suggesting her repatriation.
Pahalgam Terror Attack Live: Hunt for Pahalgam killers enters 7th day, 100 questioned as crackdown widens
Security forces continued their intensive search operation in and around Pahalgam for the seventh consecutive day on Tuesday, following the April 22 terrorist attack that killed 26 people. Over 100 individuals, including locals and eyewitnesses, have been questioned as investigators, including the NIA, work to identify those responsible. Meanwhile, J&K Police intensified their crackdown on terror infrastructure, seizing property belonging to Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, a designated terrorist and key Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen handler, in a move aimed at disrupting cross-border support networks.
Following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives, most of them tourists, the Union government has significantly stepped up its security and diplomatic actions. On Tuesday, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a high-level security review with top officials from paramilitary forces including the BSF, NSG, Assam Rifles, and SSB. Though details remain confidential, the meeting underscored the urgency of preventing further attacks.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has officially taken charge of the probe. Under the Home Ministry’s guidance, multiple NIA teams—comprising senior officers, forensic experts, and technical analysts—have been deployed to reconstruct the events, examine key locations, collect evidence, and question witnesses.
On the diplomatic front, India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, citing Pakistani violations. The Cabinet Committee on Security also ordered all Pakistani nationals without diplomatic or long-term visas to leave India by April 29. To ensure compliance, Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to state chief ministers, while the Home Secretary held a video conference with state chief secretaries, stressing strict enforcement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a firm statement on April 24, vowed to hunt down and punish the perpetrators and their supporters, promising justice “to the ends of the earth.” The commitment was echoed at an all-party meeting the same day, where political leaders expressed unanimous support for strong retaliatory measures.
Meanwhile, tensions along the Line of Control have escalated, with Pakistani forces violating the ceasefire for five consecutive nights, including fresh firing in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector on Tuesday. The Indian Army has responded with intensified retaliatory actions.
In the Kashmir Valley, security forces have launched a widespread crackdown on terrorist infrastructure. Police in Doda district raided 13 suspected locations, while nine homes linked to active terrorists were demolished using explosives, signaling a broader campaign to dismantle support networks and eliminate safe havens.
