India and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement on Wednesday to ‘strongly condemn’ the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, where gunmen targeted non-Muslim tourists and killed 28 of them.
The joint statement said: “Both sides strongly condemned the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians. In this context, the two sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasized that this remains one of the gravest threats to humanity.”
“They agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever. They rejected any attempt to link terrorism to any particular race, religion or culture,” the statement said.
The statement was issued a day after Indian PM Narendra Modi visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, but cut short his tour following the attack, which drew worldwide condemnation.
“They condemned cross-border terrorism, and called on all States to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructure where it exists, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. Both sides stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries,” the statement said.
World leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, condemned the attack.
The terrorists, who were apparently in camouflage, reportedly asked the victims to chant Islamic verse, pull down their pants to check circumcision in a bid to confirm their Hindu identities before gunning them down. Two among the dead were non-Muslim foreigners.
Amit Shah visits Kashmir
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday visited Baisaran meadow and also paid homage to the victims of the incident.
He also met the families of the people killed in the attack that has triggered grief and anger across the country.
