In the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, in which 26 tourists were killed and a dozen others were injured, the Union government has called for an all-party meeting in Parliament on Thursday.
The all-party meeting comes a day after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, to take stock of the situation and deliberate on the government’s strategy.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair the all-party meeting, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Singh have spoken to leaders of various parties on the issue.
On Wednesday night, in a sweeping diplomatic crackdown following the attack, the Centre announced the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, closing of the Attari check post for all cross-border movement, and suspension of SAARC visa travel privileges for Pakistani nationals, among other retaliatory measures.
Meanwhile, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for an all-party meeting in Srinagar on Thursday to discuss the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack.
“In the aftermath of the attack in Pahalgam, I have called an all-party meeting (on Thursday). I have sent out letters of invitation to all major political parties, all honourable Members of Parliament from J&K and the Leader of the Opposition in the J&K assembly,” Abdullah wrote on X. “This is not merely a tragedy for a region or party – it is a wound upon the very soul of Jammu and Kashmir.”
PM Modi in Bihar
PM Modi is set to address Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and gram sabhas across the country at an event in Bihar’s Madhubani district on Thursday. The PM will be making his first public remarks following the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
Besides, Modi will also launch several infrastructure and welfare projects worth Rs 13,500 crore and flag off the Amrit Bharat Express and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail in Bihar, as per an official statement.
The event, which comes months ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls slated for October-November, is being held to commemorate the National Panchayati Raj Day, marking 32 years of the 73rd Constitutional (Amendment) Act, 1992, which gave constitutional status to panchayats as institutions of rural local self-government.
Emergency CWC meet
An emergency meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will be held in New Delhi on Thursday in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal said.
“We must stand united, not only in mourning but also in our unflinching resolve against violence, against terror. My heartfelt prayers are with the bereaved families. India will never forget,” he said on X before announcing the meeting.
In Telangana, Karnataka HCs
The Telangana High Court will on Thursday hear PIL pleas seeking to halt the state government’s takeover of over 400 acres of forest land adjoining the University of Hyderabad campus.
Already, the Supreme Court has directed the state government to stop “alarming deforestation activities” on April 4, days after the government began clearing large tracts of the Kancha Gachibowli forested area.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court will on Thursday hear petitions of the state’s caste survey, which was recently cleared by the state Cabinet and unveiled earlier this month amid opposition from some communities who called the survey “unscientific”. The petitioners have argued that the government is looking to implement a survey that is a decade old, having been initially commissioned and conducted in 2015.