Pahalgam LIVE: Govt debunks claims of Army commander 'removal' after attack as fake

The government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) today debunked claims made in posts by "several pro-Pakistan social media accounts" that the Indian Army's northern commander Lt Gen. M.V. Suchindra Kumar has been 'removed' from his post after the Pahalgam attack, and said the general officer is attaining superannuation on 30 April. 

Meanwhile, the minority wing of the Mumbai BJP took out a march today, urging shop owners to boycott products from Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. Mumbai BJP minority wing president Washim Khan said, "We won't allow the sale of Pakistani products which are coming to India via different countries. They (Pakistanis) are trying to fool us, but we want to hit Pakistan's economy by banning spices and other items."

In another development, the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have deliberated on the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir today, amid speculations about India's possible retaliation to the terror attack and its alleged links to Pakistan.

The CCS meet comes a day after the PM met the top military brass and accorded operational freedom to the armed forces on the "mode, targets and timing" of India's response to the 22 April attack.

More in our earlier live blog here.

The government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) today debunked claims made in posts by "several pro-Pakistan social media accounts" that the commander of Indian Army's Northern Command, Lt. Gen. M.V. Suchindra Kumar, has been 'removed' from his post after the Pahalgam attack.

The general officer attained superannuation today after a career of four decades in the Indian Army, which in a post on X expressed "deep gratitude for his exemplary leadership, utmost professionalism and unblemished service to the nation".

"Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claim that Northern Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident #PIBFactCheck The claims being made in these posts are #fake," PIB Fact Check wrote on X, posting a collage of such 'reports' with false claims on the microblogging platform.

There have been several misleading posts on social media amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. 

India has warned Pakistan against its unprovoked firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir as the directors general of military operations of the two armies spoke on the hotline amid the escalating tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan has been resorting to firings on the Indian side of the LoC since Friday night in violation of a ceasefire understanding and the Indian Army responded to them "appropriately", according to military sources.

Read more here

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the right steps towards protecting the country at the earliest in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, by understanding the feelings of the country and utilising the authority given to him by political parties to conduct any operation in the current situation.

Reiterating his demand to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve, the AICC chief, in the wake of controversy over the party's ‘Gayab’ social media post targeting the PM, said no attempt should be made to cause any damage to the dignity or image of anyone.

Read more here

As many as 786 Pakistani nationals, including 55 diplomats, their dependents and support staff, besides eight Indians with Pakistani visas, have left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in the last six days following a government order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said today.

A total of 1,465 Indians, including 25 diplomats and officials, besides 151 Pakistani citizens with long-term Indian visas have crossed over to India from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab since 24 April.

The 'Leave India' notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government in the wake of the terror attack. The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was 26 April. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline was 29 April.

The deadline for 12 other categories of visas was 27 April. These were visas on arrival and visas for business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrims.

A policeman and his eight siblings, including five sisters, were shifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab for their deportation to Pakistan today, despite the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh admitting their plea against the step and granting them temporary relief.

The nine members of the extended family were among the more than two dozen people, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were served deportation notices by authorities in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts.

The alleged Pakistani nationals, many of whom were living in the Jammu region for decades, were taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to Pakistani authorities.

Policeman Ifthkar Ali (45), and his eight siblings aged between 42 and 56, got a respite when the high court admitted their petition claiming that they were not Pakistani nationals and have been living in Salwah village for generations.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today visited the family of Shubham Dwivedi, who was among the 26 killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.

Gandhi reached Kanpur from Amethi and went to Dwivedi's residence. He paid his tributes to Dwivedi and spoke to his family members. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who had attended Dwivedi's last rites on 23 April.

Gandhi began his two-day visit to Raebareli, his constituency, and adjoining Amethi, the seat he represented in Parliament thrice, on Tuesday.

Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh recalled then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's “grandstanding” at his 2008 media address in Mumbai, just two days after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks began, and the BJP's “awful” advertisement targeting the UPA government at the time. Ramesh, however, asserted “let us now be cohesive at this most sensitive time”, talking about the escalating tensions with Pakistan.

Read more here

The Karnataka chief minister was speaking in the context of an inquiry into an alleged mob lynching of a man who reportedly shouted a ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogan in Mangaluru.

"If the ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogan was shouted, it is wrong. The inquiry is still going on, a case has been registered, let the report come. It will be clear as to what action should be taken against whom," Siddaramaiah said, responding to a question from reporters .

"If anyone speaks in favour of Pakistan, it is wrong, it is treason," he added.

Read more here

The family of 23-year-old Pakistani national Syed Aryan Shah, who passed away during treatment at a Chennai hospital, are still awaiting the arrival of his body in Karachi after the airline scheduled to transport it landed without it. Aryan, who had been on life support at MGM Healthcare in Chennai due to heart and severe lung complications, died on 25 April.

Despite earlier reports on Tuesday, 29 April, claiming that his body had reached Karachi following an appeal by his mother after the Pahalgam attack, the airline failed to deliver it as planned. “They were supposed to bring his body on Tuesday evening to Karachi. The flight arrived without the body because of some operational and logistical issues,” his mother, Saima Shah, said.

More here

Lt Gen M V Sachindra Kumar on Wednesday relinquished the command of Udhampur-based Northern Command on his retirement after achieving the superannuation age, officials said.

Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be the new general officer commanding-in-chief of the northern command and will assume office on Thursday amid the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan following the 22 April terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a series of high-level meetings, including the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which concluded earlier today.

In addition, he led discussions of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). A detailed briefing on the outcomes of these meetings is expected at 3 pm.

At the same time, Khan, Pakistan’s incarcerated former prime minister, alleged, “Instead of introspection, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan,” adding India shouldn't risk a “nuclear flashpoint”

Read more on what Imran Khan said here.

In the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Deputy Inspector General of Police Shridhar Patil carried out a detailed security review at popular tourist destinations including Patnitop, Nathatop, and Sanasar. These locations, situated along the old Jammu-Srinagar highway, draw significant tourist footfall throughout the year. The visit aimed to assess preparedness and reinforce security measures to ensure visitor safety.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has backed the Congress’ demand for a special session of Parliament, saying this would send out the message that the country is united.

Calling the attack on tourists in the Kashmir Valley an attack on the country, Pawar added, “The entire country is united on this issue. All parties and Parliament are united. A special session (on Pahalgam) would be useful to send this message to the world,” Pawar said.

Leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha respectively, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had yesterday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve.

In a late-evening post on 29 April, Imran Khan — a former Pakistan prime minister and chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf — extended his "deepest condolences" to the families of the victims of the "Pahalgam incident", saying the loss of life is "deeply disturbing and tragic".

He also advised that "Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as “nuclear flashpoint”.

Khan alleged that the Indian government is blaming Pakistan with no evidence in hand and drew a comparison with the Pulwama incident as well: "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 Pahalgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, [the] Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan."  

He also claimed that Pakistan stood for peaceful resolution in Kashmir: “Peace is our priority but it should not be mistaken as cowardice... I have always emphasised the importance of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions,” he said. Khan was himself nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in March.

The former Pakistani PM, now in jail over indictments in several cases, went on to add, "India led by RSS ideology is a grave threat, not only to the region but beyond it."

Continuing, he also criticised the military leadership in Pakistan, saying, “It is high time to put a halt to all actions that are further polarising the nation.” He also alleged that ruling PML-N head and former premier Nawaz Sharif and president of Pakistan Asif Zardari would "will never speak out against India because their illegal wealth and business interests lie abroad" and they fear their overseas assets being frozen.

Indian students at Harvard Kennedy School have raised objections to the scheduled visit of Pakistani delegates for the Pakistan Conference 2025. They have written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the revocation of visas for the officials, and have also appealed to Harvard leadership to reconsider the invite.

Congress leader Ramchandra Kadam has called for a special session of the Odisha Assembly to discuss the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

Kadam said he has written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Governor Kambhampati Hari Babu, stressing the need for public awareness and legislative debate on the issue.

As tensions between India and Pakistan intensify following the Pahalgam terror attack, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken separately with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Guterres stressed the importance of accountability while cautioning that further confrontation could lead to catastrophic consequences. During the call, the UN Secretary-General firmly condemned the 22 April terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and underscored the need to ensure justice and accountability through legal and legitimate channels.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will speak to foreign ministers of both countries "as early as today or tomorrow", PTI has reported.

US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce at a press briefing on Tuesday said that Washington is reaching out to both India and Pakistan "regarding the Kashmir situation” and telling "them not to escalate the situation."

Unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control (LoC) opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors in Jammu and Kashmir was responded to by the Indian armed forces swiftly, officials said

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, 29 April held discussions with his counterparts from seven non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The diplomatic outreach comes amid growing anticipation over India’s possible response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead.

India has cited cross-border links to the assault and gives the armed forces a free hand in deciding targets and timing of response.

Earlier in the day, India blocked Pakistan’s defence minister who said Pak was 'doing the West’s dirty work'