Omar meets PM Modi, discusses Pahalgam attack

SRINAGAR: J&K CM Omar Abdullah briefed PM Narendra Modi Saturday on the security situation and conveyed the grief and outrage of the people of the Union territory during their first meeting since the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

“The CM reiterated the deep sense of grief and outrage felt by the people of J&K,” a govt spokesman said.

National Conference (NC) said the Pahalgam attack was a central focus of the meeting. NC chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq called the meeting “timely and significant”, noting the unity shown by Kashmiris in condemning the attack. “What makes this moment even more remarkable is the unprecedented unity shown by the people of Kashmir, who came out across the region to unequivocally condemn the act of terrorism, sending a clear message that violence has no place in our society,” he said.

Abdullah had earlier convened an all-party meeting and a broad-based stakeholders’ consultation to forge consensus in response to the attack. “Equally historic was the decision taken at the insistence of the CM and his cabinet to convene a special session of the J&K legislative assembly,” Sadiq said.

On April 28, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Pahalgam killings “in the strongest possible terms”. During that special session, Abdullah delivered an emotional address: “No other Parliament or assembly can understand the pain of these 26 innocent lives lost, as much as this House does. This was not just an attack on people from one state — it was an attack on the very soul of India.”