By ayush 
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his two-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and flew back to India as news emerged of a devastating terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that took the lives of at least 26 people. After landing in New Delhi, Modi summoned an emergency meeting with senior officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, to brief them on the situation. The meeting was held at the Palam Airport. Modi had skipped the official dinner hosted by Saudi Arabia and decided to return to India early. The attack, carried out at the picturesque Baisaran meadow, killed 26 and injured several, including two foreign nationals. The Resistance Front, said to be a front of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Moments after his arrival in Delhi early Wednesday, it was clear that PM Modi’s priority was to address the situation. PM Modi condemned the attack and vowed that those behind this attack would be brought to justice. “I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable, and it will get even stronger.”
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman had also cut short her visit to foreign nations in the wake of the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam. Sitharaman was on her official visit to the US and Peru.
The Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a search operation in the general area of Baisran, Pahalgam, Anantnag, to nab the perpetrators of the attack. The incident, which targeted tourists in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district, sparked widespread outrage across the country. Several political leaders condemned the attack. Residents of Jammu and Kashmir turned up for a candlelight march at several places in the state against the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on Tuesday. Locals in Baramulla, Srinagar, Poonch, and Kupwara held a candlelight march, while Bajrang Dal workers in Jammu held a protest against the terror attack. Locals in the Khod village of the Akhoor area of the territory also held a candlelight march protest against the Pahalgam terror attack. The Government is yet to confirm the exact number of casualties in the incident.