New Delhi, April 22 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is cutting short his state visit to Saudi Arabia and returning to New Delhi in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, including two foreign nationals, government sources said on Tuesday.
Modi, who had been scheduled to return on Wednesday night, will now depart Riyadh late Tuesday and is expected to arrive in India early Wednesday morning. He also skipped an official dinner hosted in his honour by Saudi authorities.
The decision follows a mass shooting in the meadow area of Baisaran, near the popular resort town of Pahalgam in Kashmir, where terrorists opened fire on tourists on Tuesday afternoon. At least 20 others were injured in what is the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019.
Officials said the attackers fired indiscriminately at people picnicking, taking pony rides, or dining in open-air eateries. The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility, according to Indian news agency PTI.
“The terrorists came into the grassland and started firing at tourists,” an eyewitness told local media.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the incident, calling it “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
Modi earlier issued a strong statement condemning the assault. “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,” he posted on social media platform X.
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed,” he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah briefed the Prime Minister on the situation and has since travelled to Srinagar to oversee the security response.
India has long accused neighbouring Pakistan of harbouring and supporting Islamist militants who carry out attacks in the disputed region of Kashmir. Islamabad denies the charges.
The attack is likely to escalate tensions in the already volatile region and could prompt a renewed crackdown on militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
