DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ATTACKATMEADOWNEARPAHALGAM, TRUMPDIALSMODIASWORLDLEADERS Terrorists kill tourists in Kashmir security forces launch search operations join India in condemning terror attack 26 killed; Modi cuts short Saudi trip, Shah at attack site today ATTACK SITE BASHAARAT MASOOD & MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL CHINA (Tibet) IN THE deadliest terror attack on civilians in the country since the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, at least 25 tourists and a Valley resident were shot dead Tuesday at a meadow near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources indicated that the toll could climb since several others had sustained serious injuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had reached Jeddah earlier in the day on a two-day visittoSaudiArabia,cutshorthis trip and decidedtoreturn home. He is expected back early Wednesday. Modi promised that “those behind this heinous act will be PAKISTAN SRINAGAR, NEW DELHI, APR 22 Saudi Crown Prince offers assistance over J&K terror attack as Modi visit boosts ties Pahalgam’s BaisaranValley Srinagar Ladakh J&K Jammu The site was packed with tourists when terrorists opened fire broughttojustice…theywillnot be spared”. He was briefed on the incident by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who later reached Srinagar to review the situation. Shah will go to the incidentsiteWednesdaymorning. The attack took place in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A tourist breaks down as she is leaves the site of the terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam district on Tuesday. ANI Terrorists were in camouflage outfits, carried M4 carbine, AK-47s: Initial probe 50-70 cartridges recovered from attack site; NIA likely to step in MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, APRIL 22 Security personnel reach the attack site in Pahalham. PTI BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY A PRELIMINARY investigation intothedeadlyattackontourists nearPahalgamhasrevealedthat at least four terrorists, clad in camouflage outfits, came to the Baisaran meadow and opened fire with American-made M4 carbineassaultriflesandAK-47s. Some 50-70 used cartridges had been recovered from the incidentsiteuntilTuesdayevening. It is learnt that the Centre plansto hand overthe investigationfromJ&KPolicetotheNational Investigation Agency (NIA). Asourcesaidtheinitialprobe after recording the statement of victims and eyewitnesses revealed that four terrorists, including two believed to be DAYS AFTER PAK ARMY CHIEF’S SHRILL RHETORIC 2000, ’02, J&K terror’s old ghost: attack during high-profile US visit NEW DELHI, APRIL 22 WITH US Vice-President J D Vance in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an overseastrip toSaudiArabia,the biggest terrorist attack targeting civilianssincethe26/11Mumbai E terror attack that has killed more than two dozen civilians in Pahalgam in Kashmir Tuesday frames one of the most significant internal security challenges for New Delhi — one with external ramifications. Indeed, since August 2019, EXPLAINED SHUBHAJIT ROY after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked, the record surge in tourists to the state ● was seen as a bellwetherfornormalcyin the Valley. Given how tourism fuelled local employment and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 cr & counting: Terror strikes heart of record tourist surge, local economy FADNAVIS GOVT CLIMBS DOWN, HINDI NOW ‘OPTIONAL’ FOR CLASSES 1 TO 5 CAN’T BELIEVE EYES AND EARS: DELHI HC PULLS UP RAMDEV’S PATANJALI OVER ADS PAGES 5, 8 NAVEED IQBAL SRINAGAR, APRIL 22 THE TERRORattack inPahalgam on Tuesday hits at the heart of the Valley’s tourism sector, which has shown a near-constant growth since 2018 and has been touted as the most significant indicator of “normalcy” in Jammu and Kashmir. TOURIST ARRIVALS 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 1.7 crore 1.6 crore 34.7 lakh 1.1 crore 1.9 crore 2.1 crore 2.3 crore Officialsandstakeholderssay terrorists chose the peak tourist season in the Valley, when the meadows and Mughal gardens attract thousands of visitors to witness the spring. It also took place at a destination that is on every tourist’s itinerary — Pahalgam in South Kashmir. Pahalgam is significant for several reasons — it serves as one of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jeddah, Tuesday. ANI SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, APRIL 22 PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam during their meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday even as India and Saudi Arabia moved to enhance ties withworkinggroupsondefence andtourism,andpactsinkeysectors such as space and health. Both theleaders condemned CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Our hearts with you: Trump; mourn horrific attack: Vance INSIDE ‘They (terrorists) were there for 20 minutes, undeterred, moving around, opening fire’ A tourist being brought to a medical facility in Pahalgam district after the attack on Tuesday. PTI BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, APRIL 22 TUESDAY STARTED as a typical morning at Baisaran, a picturesque meadow ringed by dense forests, in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Between 1,000 and 1,500 tourists were in the area, slightly less than usual. As the day passed, more tourists poured in. And then, all of a sudden, so did the terrorists. Vinay Bai, a resident of Gujarat, was just entering the meadow when the gunshots firstrangoutaround2pm.“Iwas on a pony, about to enter Baisaran, when there were gun8 shots. People started to run for theirlives,”anofficerquotedhim as saying. “As I tried to escape, a bullethitmeintheelbow.Idon’t know where it came from.” Police officers who spoke to the survivors say they gave detailedaccountsof howtheattack unfolded. “Three to four men in ‘uniform’ descended from the denseforests. Theyaskedforour names. We thought they were policemen,” an officer quoted a woman survivor as saying. “Suddenly, they opened fire on the men and left the women unharmed. They shot some of the men from point-blank range.” Those who tried to flee were punished’ , inhuman... must be ‘Dastardly Head slug here Head slug hereHead slug hereHead slug hereHead slug hereHead slug hereHead slug hereHead slug hereHead slug her Kolkata man among victims: ‘Had returned from US to spend time with family’ GLOBAL CONDEMNATION POURS IN news Deeply disturbing The out of Kashmir. stands United States against strong with India for pray terrorism. We lost, the souls of those of and for the recovery the injured. Prime -OLD Bitan Minister (Narendra) THIRTY-SIX-YEAR in the US incredible worked Modi, and the Adhikari, who have our to Kolkata to people of India, and had returned deepest his wife and full support and spend time with hearts those killed in sympathies. Our son, was among on tourists in are with you all the terror attack Jammu and DONALDTRUMP Pahalgam in US PRESIDENT Kashmir on Tuesday.Patuli in of A resident our was holidaying Usha and I extend Kolkata, Bitan the his wife Sohini condolences to in Kashmir with son. devastating victims of the and three-year-old their neighterroristattackin past According to had the the Adhikari family 16 Pahalgam. Over bours, been on April few days, wehave gone to Kashmir to return the overcome with and were supposed country beauty of this on April 24. who was Our and its people. Dipak, his cousin, “They were facand prayers are thoughts in tears, said: troubles. So, with them as theymourn ing some financial to go for a them this horrific attack I had suggested had returned JDVANCE vacation. Bitan April 8. On on US VICEPRESIDENT from the US we had gone Bengali New Year, over and on April Sincere condolences out to celebrate, Kashmir. They the tragic consequences 16, they left for attack in with them, of the terrorist asked me to come victims We used to Pahalgam whose but I declined. repeatedly — citizens I were civilians speak daily, and for a horse This to go of various countries. told them not no happened today. brutal crime has ride. See what my face to his justification whatsoever. PTI How will I show its district on Tuesday. We expect that Anantnag child?” Krishna, a and Kashmir’s — AMITSHAH, organisers and Rathindranath hospital in Jammu face a “Bitan used to treatment at a perpetrators will neighbour, said: is united against An injured receives due to work The whole countryof making hollow deserved punishment stay in America wife and son his terrorism. Instead normal in VLADIMIRPUTIN purpose, while situation being Kolkata. We all claims on the RUSSIAN PRESIDENT stayed here in the government hear this.” and take Jammu and Kashmir, are shocked to the accountability the news, should now take Deeplysaddenedby Upon hearing Biswas so that such barbaric attackon concrete steps minister Aroop heinous terror those TMC future and innocent residence and happen in the necessary to help touristsin Pahalgam.Our visited Adhikari’s e family of incidents do not their lives like this Thein- all steps said. ABHA the bereaved lose thoughtsarewithth in Kashmir,” he herfather wasshotdead. Indians do not families. said three assured LEADER OFOPPOSITIONINLOKS family are safe. cident happened in her presvictimsand their with The Chief Minister Anil K all the help. — RAHULGANDHI, others in the Mamata the body judges, Israelstandsunited inst Chief Minister by the brutal Later, Arathi identifiedhospital,” ence,” said Jayalakshmi. worked High Court Ajith Kumar and spoke to Bitan’s had a local region I am deeply anguished Indiainthefightaga Banerjee, who Ramachandran Narendran, P G on of her father at SHAJU PHILIP RAM, in the Pahalgam are also touring neighbour of the phone, posted several years beterrorist attack terror — GIDEONSA’AR, condolences G Gireesh, who Jayalakshmi, a in the UAE for in wife over goes said THIRUVANANTHAPU My heartfelt at a hotel MINISTER “My heart to Kochi four Edappally area of Anantnag. lost their ISRAELI FOREIGN social media: Kashmir, are staying fore moving back his wife. the family in the APRIL 22 of those who of the vicwill return with to the families out to the families Srinagar. They years ago along of Kochi. for the swift recovery by the set out for said. State legis- tims of the devastating terrorist killed in the lives, and prayers act of violence is Deeply saddened KeralaChief MinisterPinarayi Wednesday, he The family had ONE OF the tourists Kashmir’s This in Jammu that T Siddique,K P the government of the injured. on the tourists south terrorist attack on Monday morning Vijayan said go unpunished re- lators MMukesh, terror attack in My deepare also attack in India... was iden- Kashmir and must not via Hyderabad. would take steps for the safe andK Ansalan occurred today and Kashmir today... the famCM,WESTBENGAL Pahalgam on Tuesday resident from Kochi utterly reprehensible family. A Majeed to all Vijayan said. gathering of lo—MAMATA BANERJEE, GEORGIAMELONI safe in Srinagar, has started a est condolences turn of Ramachandran’s “Duringa recent tified as Kochi lost their loved informed about “The deathof theErnakulamnaNORKA ROOTS ITALIAN PM ilies who have in the terrorist cals, we were Ramachandran. act of terthe ROOTS toll-free number had gone to this inhuman The death of touristsJammu-Kashmir is painful. NORKA help desk with The 65-year-old their trip. Thisevening,when and ones in was tive is for matters attack in Pahalgam, his wife Sheela, news about the attack nodal agency ror.” is highly 18004253939, Kashmir with some (the her two non-resident tragic. The incident country stands channels, and very concerning splashed on TV daughter Arathi The entire totake 00918802012345. managed to condemnable... has been asked the relatives children. terrorism them Keralites) was shot of united against CM,BIHAR Arathi, who told “Ramachandran All speak to —NITISHKUMAR, riding a horse. while he was ACT LEADERS CONDEMN HORRIFIC on tourists in attack is The terrorist Jammu and Kashmir Pahalgam of dastardly painful. It is a shocking and be act which must and inhuman Attacking condemned unequivocally. tourists, in this case innocent citizens, My heartfelt and unpardonable. dear is utterly appalling families who have lost their to the of the condolences quick recovery prayers for the ones and my — PRESIDENT DROUPADIMURMU injured by the horrific Deeply anguished Such acts of in Pahalgam. terrorist attack and deserve violence are reprehensible My condemnation. our strongest the prayers are with thoughts and grief in this hour of affected families VICE PRESIDENT — JAGDEEP DHANKHAR, spared! Their will not be They (terrorists) Our never succeed. evil agenda will terrorism is unshakable resolve to fight even stronger and it will get PRIMEMINISTER — NARENDRAMODI, of are with the families My condolences in this lost their lives thecivilians who to grant peace to the God to attack. I pray to and speedyrecovery departed souls LOK SABHA SPEAKER the injured OMBIRLA, terror attack on Anguished bythe My thoughts are tourists in Pahalgam. members of the with the family involved in this deceased. Those be spared, terror willnot dastardly act of on the down heavily and we will come consequences with the harshest UNION HOMEMINISTER perpetrators TANUSREE BOSE 22 INSIDE KOLKATA, APRIL dead in from Kochi shot 65-year-old man while riding horse front of daughter down, Hindi of Fadnavis govt climbs to 5 al’ for Classes 1 Calls for cancellation ngs now ‘option hotel, flights booki tors flood tour opera Fadnavis advised. Tuesday, Before the rollback to addressconthe CMhad tried on clarification cerns via a PALLAVI SMART wasno“imSundaysayingthere and that & ALOK DESHPANDE Hindi 22 position” of MUMBAI, APRIL compulsory.“It Marathiremains attempts are pressure from is wrong tosaythat UNDER INTENSE impose Hindi. the issue, the being made to all sides over been made government Hindi has not of Marathi. Maharashtra back its decision mandatory insteadhe said. Tuesday rolled the mandatory as terror atMarathi is a must,” to make Hindi order 5 the Pahalgam in Classes 1 to AS THE news of Since the government bewho had planned third language mandatory Devendra and Englishtack spread, people the near making Hindi Chief Minister across Marathi- the state. and Kashmir in across the in cancel trips to Jammu came public, parties in medium schools travelagents to llbe Fadnavis spectrum future called their Opposition "The wordmandatorywi come out in flight bookings. had three-language hotel and Maharashtra operatesSkylink removed… The imposition to the NEP's but schools AshishSharma,who Place, check vehicles oppositionover“the formula remains, other lan- ing the opposition out of Connaught Security personnel terror attack, in formula,posted of Hindi”. The Maharashtra govPrivate Limited three-language must accommodate scheduled forthenext after the Pahalgam ificantnume massivebacklash ernment-appointed Language says that all tours onX:“Facing a guagechoicesifasign Tuesday. AP cancelled.“Atthistim as the third Committee had in a class request 10days havebeen bookings are from Jammu for imposing Hindi ber of students CM Consultationthe decision. olEducation of the year, most also opposed andWest Bengal. language, Maharashtra it,”MaharashtraScho Maharashtra now claims panic northern states,Gujarat owner of a Kashmir- MinisterDadajiBhuse announced While the Devendra Fadnavis compulsory Raj attack happening, have us tillJune,” saidthe is in Malviya Sena led by meeting. With such an agency based that only Marathi clear mani- Navnirman aftera Cabinet people. All of them themostagspecific travel government be named. spreads among state. This is a Thackerayhadbeen Since the state the did not want to theirhotelandother 16 say- in the trepidation over gressive in its opposition to of Nagar. He firstweekof June calledandcancelled an order on April festation of his 50-year old operator “Forus,Mayandthe the past four issued Shiv Sena public condembookings,” the 16 order, the would be mandatory time. Over to ing Hindi from the widespread imposition of April Thackeray to is the busiest tourists going Skylink said. led by Uddhav against third language who were planning the number of facing nation non-Hindi speaking (UBT) been as the BJP of trying to “All the people and we have on their trips. years, 1 to 5, it has been had accused the have cancelled Kashmir increased ristsperdayinmid- Classes from political circles, Hindi linguisticlines. travel by road going by air States.” pushback re- divide peopleon Vijay leader people who were and cultural. be handlingupto40tou panic now. I don't the new order Some must Following as well as social BJP-led govtickets, others There is a lot of replied Congress themove“an than a handful added. May. called to cancel Hindi, Fadnavis The fact that the r Waddetiwarcalled language” will have more online,” Sharma with garding past think we trying to cancel attack on theMarathi this year,” he added. ernment’s movecoincided sim- toStalin on X,saying:“NEPneve to 20 tours this toerodestate aucompulsion on Nadu to a to be of tourists He arranged close Srinagar protests byTamil Hindi made insisted or made but only asked andanattempt was supposed week. Next week 30tours arranged, all Special flights from tonomy. language choice ilar order regarding it. government’s for 2 Indian languages issued a travel betterwith around The Fadnavis the going tougher Devendra to study any rather cancelled now. Air India, meanwhile, out of 3. As were of which stand change of stance, than English, Chief Minister is tours which announcing thattheairlinewill ncerned, quick from defend- other out the issue, “Out of the 10 have al- advisory additional flights on Fadnavis, whohasbeen far asMaharashtraisco Tamil, than dragging given tomorrow, seven be operating two on Tuesday to Hindi, scheduled for says Furqan Delhi and Mumbai ing the decision, meeting re- we are open orany understandable y of linguisSrinagar to platformX. ready been cancelled,” Telugu, Kannada,Sanskritchoice Maharashtra’shistor operates Hangout Wednesday, onsocial media to Delhi is briefed the Cabinet forThe BJPisalsowary Bashir, 36, who “Almost all tours Srinagar language of student’s as the tic assertion. as garding the three-language The flight from to study new National from Srinagar be quickly dubbed Holidays Kashmir. which they wish at 11.30 am and mula as per the is that it can have been cancelled. – a charge that Mainquestion scheduled in April hai ki cancel kar do scheduled is at noon. Bookings for the Policy (NEP). Asenior anti-Marathi third language. . Education rahe open to multiattended the to the Delhi domibook- to Mumbai Sabke phone aa accordingtothepost why are you not a problem if sticks due minister who to cancel their the CM then told & have (Everyone is calling agency gets book- flightsarenowopen,flights to and from nance inits politics–andthiscan meeting said whose where the "All our other not be lingualism to study in to operate as per ings),” Bashir, that "Hindi will sub- someone wants be costly in Mumbai divide the country, said. com- them Srinagar will continue ings from across but an optional is also offering Marathi vs non-Marathi Hindi?” dule. Air India ourof ninepeopledepartefunds mandatory t a “deep un d politics. DEVANSH MITTAL 22 NEW DELHI, APRIL The Vance family with Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal and Deputy CM Diya Kumari at Amber Fort in Jaipur, Tuesday. ANI HAMZA KHAN & SHUBHAJIT ROY OVER 20 KILLED DASTARDLY, MUST NOT GO UNPUNISHED: CHORUS ACROSS INDIA CANCELLATION CALLS FLOOD TOUR OPERATORS PAGE 8 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Vance: Want partners who help build things, respect value of labour CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 TTACK J&K TERROR A THE INDIAN EXPRESS, the terror attack with Modi deciding to cut short his two-day visit. Indian Ambassador Suhel Ejaz Khan said the Crown Prince also offered Saudi assistance over the attack. The decision to set up the workinggroupswastakenasthe two leaders held a meeting of their Strategic Partnership Council. Four pacts were signed on space, health, anti-doping in sports and postal departments, officials said. JAIPUR, NEW DELHI, APRIL 22 IN THE first broad foreign policy speech on India by the Trump administration, US VicePresident J D Vance on Tuesday pitched for strong bilateral ties and emphasised that US President Donald Trump “wants Americatogrow...Indiatogrow” and “buildthe future” with part- ners “all over the globe”. Speaking at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, Vance also reached out to India for partnering in America’s “manufacturing economy”, saying the US seeks trade partners “on the basis of fairness” who “respect the value of labour”. He criticised previous US administrations for approaching the Indian government “with an attitude of preachiness, or even CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Among victims, men from Kochi to Kanpur on vacation with families PAGE 1 ANCHOR EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, BHUBANESWAR, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, LUCKNOW, RAIPUR, APRIL 22 A REALTOR from Karnataka, an accountant from Odisha, a Kanpur-based businessman, a Gulf-returnee from Kerala — among the 26 killed in the terror attack on tourists in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam Tuesday were men from all over India, many of whom were holidaying withtheirfamiliesatthepopular tourist destination. Residents of Shivamogga in Karnataka, Manjunath Rao (47), wife Pallavi Rao, and their son Abhijeya (18) had reached an area popularly called ‘Mini Switzerland’ by tourists when the firing occurred in the afternoon. In a call to a relative in Shivamogga,Pallavisaidtheyinitially thought it was an exercise of thearmedforces.Tenminutes later, Pallavi found Manjunath’s body lying in a pool of blood. She told her relative that her husbanddiedofasingleshotfired at his head by a man in regular clothes as soon as they stepped off a tourist bus and entered the meadow.Shesaidthemeninthe tourist group were the primary targets of the shooting. She recalled an exchange of words with the militant who is believed to have shot her husband. “I told him that since you killed my husband, kill me, too. My son said the same... He replied, ‘I won’t kill you, tell Modi’,” she told the media. Another of the victims was One of the survivors at an hospital in Anantnag. Reuters Prashant Satpathy, 43, from BalasoreinOdisha,whowasalso on vacation with wife and ninyear-old son. He worked as an accountant in Bhubaneswar. His wife Priyadarshini told The Indian Express that he was shotintheheadwhentheywere alighting from a ropeway. “We couldn’t understand what happened as my husband was suddenly hit by a bullet. There was chaos all over,” she said. A 65-year-old from Kochi in Kerala, who was also with his family, was another victim. Ramachandran was on vacation Jaipur with his wife Sheela, daughter Arathi, and her two children. “Ramachandran was shot while ridingahorse. Later, Arathiidentified the body of her father at a localhospital,” said Jayalakshmi, the family’s neighbour in the Edappally area of Kochi. Kanpur-based businessman ShubhamDwivedi(31),partofan 11-memberfamilygroupvisiting Kashmir,wasalsokilled.Hemarried Aishanya Dwivedi on February 12. “This was their second trip after the wedding, and this time, they chose to travel with their families,” said Shubham’s cousin, Saurabh Dwivedi. Shubham managed his family’s cement business. “Shubham and his wife chose to goupthemountainonhorseback when the terrorists opened fire. Shubhamwaskilledonthespot.” Dinesh Mirania (42) from RaipurinChhattisgarh,whowas visiting Kashmir with his wife Nehaandchildrenfortheirwedding anniversary, was also shot. “He had called me a day before. HesaidtheyvisitedVaishnoDevi. Today was his wedding anniversary.Hissonhadjoinedthefamily for the holiday,” a friend said.