Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly ended his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and decided to return to New Delhi on Tuesday night following a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, government sources revealed.
Modi, who had held bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, skipped an official dinner on Tuesday to address the crisis. He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night.
26 Killed in Terrorist Attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam: Deadliest in Valley Since Pulwama Strike
Terrorists opened fire at a renowned meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
The 26 victims included two foreigners, from the UAE and Nepal, along with two locals, a high-ranking official confirmed, although further details are being withheld. The toll is still being verified, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the attack as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
Officials have identified 22 of the 26 victims, and efforts are underway to confirm the identities of the remaining four.
