Pakistan condoles death of tourists in Pahalgam terror attack, says Foreign Office
Islamabad(PTI): Pakistan on Wednesday said it condoles the death of tourists in the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people.
“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Foreign Office spokesperson said responding to media queries about the attack.
Terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
On Tuesday, The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.
Officials said it was possible the terror group members had crossed over from Kishtwar in Jammu and reached Baisaran through Kokernag in south Kashmir.
Days earlier, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir described Kashmir as Pakistan's “jugular vein,” triggering a sharp response from New Delhi.
“Our stance is very clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, and we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle,” Gen Munir said while addressing the first Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 15.
The event was also attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, senior ministers and Pakistanis living abroad.
India had slammed Munir's remarks.
“How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a Union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
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Middle East-bound flights resume from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi (PTI): Flights to the Middle East resumed early Tuesday morning from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, following the reopening of airspace in the region after a brief closure, according to airport sources.
Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Air Arabia were among the first to resume operations.
Flights bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah operated by the three carriers landed and departed in the early hours without disruption, airport sources said.
However, several scheduled services were cancelled earlier in the morning as the situation stabilised, they said.
Affected services included Air India Express flights to Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, and Dubai.
Qatar Airways' Doha-bound flight, Kuwait Airways' service to Kuwait, and IndiGo's flight to Sharjah were also cancelled, they said.
To manage the passenger backlog and assist those affected, airport authorities have set up additional seating arrangements and service counters at Terminal 2.
Extra staff have been deployed to support passenger handling and provide on-ground assistance, they added.
Several flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted at Cochin International Airport also late Monday night, after the closure of Qatar's airspace amid the rising tensions in the West Asia, authorities added.
As per the CIAL advisory issued at 3.00 am, the operation of at least 17 flights was affected due to the situation.
