Shah Rukh, Salman, Hrithik, Priyanka, Alia and many more celebs condemn Pahalgam terror attack
New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI): An inhumane act of violence, heinous attack, reprehensible and heartbreaking... India's cine stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Allu Arjun, spoke out in unison on Wednesday to express their anguish at the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's tourist hub of Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people.
In an outpouring of grief on social media, many celebrities condemned the targeted killing of innocent tourists in the terror attack on Tuesday.
"Words fail to express the sadness and anger at the treachery and inhumane act of violence that has occurred in Pahalgam. In times like these, one can only turn to God and say a prayer for the families that suffered and express my deepest condolences. May we as a Nation, stand united, strong and get justice against this heinous act," Shah Rukh posted on X.
Words fail to express the sadness and anger at the treachery and inhumane act of violence that has occurred in Pahalgam. In times like these, one can only turn to God and say a prayer for the families that suffered and express my deepest condolences. May we as a Nation, stand…
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 23, 2025
Salman wrote, "Kashmir, heaven on planet earth turning into hell. Innocent people being targeted, my heart goes out to their families. Ek bhi innocent ko marna puri kainath ko marne ke barabar hai (Killing even one innocent person is equivalent to killing the whole universe)."
Kashmir,heaven on planet earth turning into hell. Innocent people being targeted, my heart goes out to their families . Ek bhi innocent ko marna puri kainath ko marne ke barabar hai
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) April 23, 2025
Alia said the news coming out of Pahalgam was heartbreaking.
"Innocent lives lost. Tourists, families, people who were just...living. Seeking beauty. Seeking peace. And now there's only grief. And the unbearable weight of it. Every time something like this happens, it chips away at our shared humanity. May those souls rest in peace.
"And may those left behind find strength somehow - though I don't know how we even begin to ask that of them," she posted on Instagram.
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Priyanka termed the terror attack in Pahalgam as "reprehensible" and said it is difficult to move past from a tragedy like this.
"So many innocent lives were caught in a storm they never asked for. Targeted, right in front of their loved ones... This heinous attack should shake the conscience of humanity. This will haunt us for a long time. To those grieving, displaced, mourning, and living in fear, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I'm so deeply anguished by this," she wrote on Instagram.
Katrina said she was heartbroken by the horrific attack in Pahalgam and sent her condolences to the families of the victims.
"Praying for strength and peace for all the families who have lost loved ones. May justice be served!!!" she said.
Anushka Sharma said the attack on tourists in Pahalgam will never be forgotten.
"Heartbroken to hear about the cold-blooded terror attack on innocent people in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Heartfelt prayers and condolences to their families," the actor said.
Hrithik Roshan said he was "deeply disturbed, disgusted and heartbroken" by the terror attack.
"My condolences to the families of the departed souls, may they rest in peace. Prays for the speedy recovery of those injured. May justice and the spirit of humanity prevail," he added.
Deeply disturbed, disgusted and heartbroken with the cowardly act of Terrorism that took place in Pahalgam. My condolences to the families of the departed souls, may they rest in peace. Prays for the speedy recovery of those injured. May justice and the spirit of humanity prevail…
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) April 23, 2025
In an X post, "Pushpa 2" star Allu Arjun said he was heartbroken.
"Such a beautiful place with kind hearted people . Condolences to all the families, near and dear of the victims. May their innocent souls rest in peace. Truly Heart breaking (sic)" he wrote.
Rashmika Mandanna shared a news story on her Instagram page and wrote, "It breaks my heart."
Her "Animal" co-star Triptii Dimri said, "Truly heartbreaking... The cruelty..the loss..the fear..it's unbearable... No family should have to go through this.. Praying for those who've lost their loved ones..and those still living in this nightmare."
Manoj Bajpayee said cruelty against innocent lives is unacceptable.
"Peace must be protected, not punished. My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones. Om Shanti #Pahalgam," he wrote.
Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut said terrorists opened fire at unarmed civilians.
"... how to fight with these cowards, who want to fight only outside of the battlefield (sic)" she added in another Instagram Story.
Dulquer Salmaan said his heart goes out to the victims of the terrible and cowardly attack.
"I cannot fathom the loss they're experiencing. Kashmir its beauty, the love & hospitality of its amazing people deserve to be experienced by everyone especially our countrymen," he said.
In an Instagram Story, Kareena Kapoor Khan wrote: "Beyond heartbroken for the victims and their families. Praying for the lives lost. #Pahalgam."
Hope the culprits behind "this heinous act" are brought to justice, said Vicky Kaushal.
"Can’t imagine the pain of the family members of those who lost their loved ones in the absolute inhumane act of terrorism in Pahalgam. My deepest condolences and prayers," he added.
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar said the senseless act of violence against innocent lives is absolutely inexcusable and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
"My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of those who lost their lives. I stand in solidarity with the people of Kashmir during this tragic," he added.
Ajay Devgn said he was shocked to hear about the terrorist attack.
"The victims and their families were innocent souls, and what happened is heartbreaking and purely evil. My thoughts and prayers are with them," he wrote on X.
Akshay Kumar posted, "Horrified to know of the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Sheer evil to kill innocent people like this. Prayers for their families."
Nani, who shot for his Telugu film "Hit: The Third Case" in Pahalgam three months ago, said he was speechless.
"Over 200 people team for almost 20 days. Pahalgam Was like a dream. The place, the people and the warmth... Why?" he wrote in an X post.
Actor Sunny Deol said it was high time that ending terrorism became a priority.
"... its victims are only innocent people, humans need to look within themselves. I stand with the affected families in this hour of grief. #PahalgamTerroristAttack," he wrote in Hindi.
"My heart goes out to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. It is devastating to witness such cruelty... Let us hold on to each other a little tighter and never let go of the hope that peace will prevail even in the face of darkness," Malayalam superstar Mohanlal said in an X post.
Actor Sidharth Malhotra termed the Pahalgam terrorist attack "a cowardly act".
"I have full faith in our armed forces and I’m sure they will do the needful and ensure justice. My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the innocent victims. Jai Hind!" Malhotra said on his Instagram Story.
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UT with dual power structure 'worst form of govt', says Omar Abdullah
Srinagar (PTI): Terming the current administrative structure in Jammu and Kashmir the “worst form of government”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for an urgent shift toward full statehood while acknowledging that significant progress has been made in narrowing differences with the Centre over the transaction of business rules.
The chief minister also hit out at vested interests making efforts to create a political wedge between Jammu and Srinagar, saying “they have failed and they will continue to fail”, and highlighted the restoration of the traditional biannual shift of the capital known as ‘Darbar Move’ as a vital bridge in narrowing the emotional divide between the two regions.
Speaking with PTI, Abdullah argued that the logic behind treating a territory with 90 elected legislators on par with smaller regions like Puducherry, which has only 30, remains incomprehensible, and reiterated his earlier stand that a dual power system where two power structures exist is a "recipe for disaster”.
“Can you not see the difference between a tiny one with 30 MLAs and one with 90 MLAs? And you still believe that this current system is beneficial to Jammu and Kashmir after everything that happened last year?” the chief minister asked while referring to the Pahalgham tragedy, pointing out that keeping elected representatives out of the law and order situation was doing no good.
He specifically noted that the size and scale of Jammu and Kashmir demand a governance model where the elected representatives are fully responsible for administration.
“I continue to maintain that view. I continue to believe that a system of Union territory with an assembly is by far the worst form of government that you can come up with,” Abdullah told PTI here recently.
The chief minister highlighted that several key institutions, including universities, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Power Development Corporation, should have automatically come under the domain of the elected government.
“I am not even arguing on the central services, law and order, and police. As a Union territory, those are automatically within the domain of the unelected government. But these were institutions that were previously the responsibility of the elected government. And they should be,” Abdullah said.
Despite these friction points, Abdullah expressed optimism, stating that his government and the Government of India are close to reaching an agreement on the rules of business and that a formal proposal for the appointment of a new advocate general has finally been dispatched to the appropriate authorities.
“Again, as I said, we have made significant progress on these issues,” he said.
On the long-standing issue of summary dismissals of government employees without judicial inquiry, Abdullah described the process as arbitrary, opaque and unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny.
This practice did not originate with the current lieutenant governor's administration but was initiated during the previous BJP-PDP coalition government, he said.
“Look, everyone has the right to prove their innocence. For some reason, these employees were not given that opportunity. And I have no doubt that going ahead, many of these people will return to government service on the back of relief from the court.
“We will not be able to defend the dismissal of these employees in the courts. It will happen, you mark my words, because the process is arbitrary. The process is opaque. There is no clarity and transparency in the process. Ultimately, we will not be able to bear up to judicial scrutiny," he said.
Referring to the promises made by his party, the National Conference, Abdullah detailed the operationalisation of his poll promises, including 200 units of free electricity and six free cooking gas cylinders for the poorest households, underlining that power subsidy is being provided to the poorest of the poor.
He argued that anyone above the poverty line should pay market rates for electricity to ensure that state resources are prioritised for the most vulnerable.
“Rich people shouldn't even be getting subsidised electricity. If I could, though obviously I can't do it in a single stroke, I would like to remove subsidised electricity from all these rich people.
“Anybody above BPL (Below Poverty Line) should not be paying subsidised rates for electricity. They should pay the market rate,” he said.
Beyond direct welfare, Abdullah highlighted the restoration of the ‘Darbar Move’ and the introduction of free education and bus travel for women as key milestones in his 20-month-old administration.
Speaking on the composite culture of J-K, Abdullah said the traditional biannual shift of the capital has allowed a new generation of employees from Jammu, who had never worked in the Valley before, to bond with their Kashmiri counterparts.
“The distance between Jammu and Kashmir has reduced to a great extent,” Abdullah said, adding that the two regions historically come together during times of adversity, whether after natural disasters or security crises.
Replying to a query on Kashmiri Pandits who migrated to various camps in Jammu, Abdullah said the question needs to be asked of the BJP as to why they are still in camps.
“Please ask the BJP how many more elections do they want to exploit their (Kashmiri Pandits’) votes before actually doing something to bring them back,” Abdullah said.
Terming the migration “deeply unfortunate”, Abdullah said, “We want those who left in the late 80s, early 90s, to come back. I have always maintained that they left because their sense of security was snatched away. They will come back only when that sense of security is restored. And we have not been able to do that so far.”
Crediting former prime minister Manmohan Singh for building the Jagti township in Jammu for migrants and creating a job quota for them, Abdullah said that nothing more has been done for the community since then.
To a question on dynastic politics following the recent defeat of M K Stalin in Tamil Nadu, Abdullah dismissed the idea that the defeat of established leaders is a verdict on their lineage, and argued that belonging to a political family only "opens a door" but does not guarantee a seat at the table.
“What keeps it open is your own performance,” Abdullah said, pointing out that even non-dynastic leaders like Mamata Banerjee faced electoral setbacks.
He also dismissed rumours of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle in J-K as “absolute lies”.
