Won't bow to terror: President, PM pay homage to Pahalgam attack victims on first anniversary

📌 Summary:

• President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid solemn homage to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack on its first anniversary (April 22, 2026)

• The Pahalgam attack (April 22, 2025) targeted a tourist convoy in the Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir; 26 civilians — mostly tourists — were killed in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in J&K in recent years

• The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the attack

• PM Modi stated: India will "not bow to terror" and reiterated the government's zero-tolerance policy against cross-border terrorism; security forces have since conducted multiple anti-terror operations in J&K

• Security response since April 2025: Over 60 militants neutralised; cordon-and-search operations intensified in Pir Panjal range and Chenab Valley; AFSPA extended in specific districts

• Tourism impact: Pahalgam and broader Kashmir Valley tourism declined sharply post-attack; government has initiated a special tourism revival package for J&K

• Diplomatic fallout: India lodged strong protest with Pakistan; India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty talks and expelled Pakistani diplomats from New Delhi following the attack

🔍 UPSC Relevance:

• Cross-border terrorism, J&K security situation, India-Pakistan relations — critical GS3 Internal Security and GS2 IR topic

• AFSPA provisions; NIA investigation powers; Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as diplomatic tool

⚡ Prelims Facts:

• Pahalgam attack date: April 22, 2025 | Location: Baisaran meadows, J&K | Deaths: 26 civilians | Perpetrators: TRF (shadow org of LeT) | India response: IWT talks suspended | AFSPA: Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958