The National Commission for Women (NCW) has expressed support for Himanshi Narwal, wife of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The NCW said that it is not acceptable to target a woman over her personal views or life choices. After the April 22 attack near Pahalgam in south Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, lost their lives, Himanshi Narwal had urged people not to blame Muslims or Kashmiris.

Addressing the social media backlash, the NCW said, “After the death of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, the way his wife Himanshi Narwal is being criticised on social media in relation to one of her statements is unfortunate.”

A 30-minute rehearsal for blackout was conducted in the entire Ferozpur Cantonment area on Sunday amid the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The rehearsal was conducted on the guidelines of the President and the Cantonment Board/Station Commander.

“The blackout was from 9 PM to 9:30 PM. As per the orders of the senior officers, lights were fully switched off. If any vehicle was found with its light turned on, it was turned off…Police are fully alert. Deployment has been made at all intersections,” said Gurjant Singh, SHO, Ferozepur Cantt Police Station.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police have arrested two individuals for their alleged involvement in leaking sensitive information and photographs of Army Cantonment areas and Air Bases in Amritsar to Pakistan intelligence operatives, police said on Sunday.

The accused have been identified as Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih. Speaking to ANI, Rural Amritsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh said, “Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav have issued instructions that we immediately arrest and imprison any anti-national element we get information about. One such information was received about Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih, who were in touch with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives, leaking them information about sensitive installations. We have arrested them both and recovered a lot of data from them.”

Pakistan’s ambassador in Moscow has sought Russia’s help in des-escalating the crisis with New Delhi caused in the aftermath of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed. In an interview to be published later by TASS news agency, Ambassador Mohammad Khalid Jamali said that Russia has a privileged strategic partnership with India and also very good relations with Pakistan and could use its good offices to mediate like in Tashkent 1966, when the erstwhile Soviet premier helped in ending the armed conflict.

Meanwhile, on Friday during his phone call with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the two sides to de-escalate following the Pahalgam attack in the spirit of 1972 Simla Accord and 1999 Lahore Declaration which provide for bilaterally resolving issues without third party mediation.

Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has extended its support to Himanshi Narwal, wife of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal who was among those killed in a recent terror attack in Pahalgam, saying it is not right to troll a woman on the basis of her ideological expression or personal life. Himanshi Narwal had asked people not to target Muslims and Kashmiris following the April 22 terror attack near south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

Referring to the widespread social media criticism of her remarks, the NCW wrote, “After the death of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, the way his wife Himanshi Narwal is being criticised on social media in relation to one of her statements is unfortunate.”

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on Sunday took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray for being on vacation in Europe “while bullets flew in Pahalgam”. By contrast, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde helped the victims, Deora said in a post on X.

“From sons of the soil to tourists of India’…how far the Thackerays have fallen. While bullets flew in #Pahalgam, they were vacationing in Europe. On #Maharashtra Day, they vanished without a word. No statement. No solidarity…,” said Deora, a former Congress Lok Sabha member from Mumbai.

Shinde “led from the front, stood with victims & honoured our heroes,” he said, apparently referring to the deputy CM’s initiative to bring back stranded tourists in the aftermath of the April 22 attack in south Kashmir.

Maharashtra needs “warriors on duty, not part-time Netas on holiday”, Deora quipped.

Hitting back, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut said Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit Jammu and Kashmir after the attack.

“My question to the PM is did he go to Jammu and Kashmir and take stock of the security situation? Why did the PM not meet the families whose kin were killed in the attack? It is unfortunate that the PM did not have the time for the same,” Raut said.

Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, Ferozepur Cantonment conducted a 30-minute blackout rehearsal to assess security readiness. The power outage, accompanied by hooters, was a routine drill, according to Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma, who assured residents there was no cause for alarm. Security measures were heightened, with police monitoring anti-social elements and the BSF increasing border patrols.

Sanjay Raut, a prominent Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, criticised the Central government over Pahalgam terror attack. He labelled the government’s measures, including the ban on Pakistani YouTube channels ineffective and questioned their approach to addressing the situation.

The Rajya Sabha member expressed disappointment over the government’s actions following the tragic incident where innocent lives were lost. “It has been 12 days since innocent people were killed (in Pahalgam terror attack). And the news we see is the government is tightening the noose (around Pakistan). They reduced the staff in the Pakistan High Commission and shut the airspace (for Pakistani flights). Is this called revenge?” he said.

Raut further questioned the effectiveness of banning Pakistani YouTube channels as a retaliatory measure. Drawing a comparison with previous leadership, he referenced Indira Gandhi’s administration, stating “Is this revenge? See Indira Gandhi’s history? The government has not taken any revenge.”

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of incarcerated former premier Imran Khan announced to skip the key government briefing on the current situation between Pakistan and India. This decision was announced in a statement by the party’s political committee.

“Since this is merely a government briefing and there does not appear to be any serious attempt to build a national consensus, nor is there any intention to include an important national leader like Imran Khan, we believe that the participation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in this briefing is not necessary,” the PTI said, as quote by news agency PTI.

“His (Khan) stance is self-explanatory, and the insight and courage with which he has conveyed the message of unity to the nation is a reflection of the thinking of a national leader,” the party said.

It asked the government to immediately convene an All-Parties Conference (APC) to take all national parties into confidence and formulate a common course of action. “Unfortunately, the government wasted this opportunity. Not only was the APC not convened, but instead a one-sided briefing is being given by a government minister,” it said.

Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra affirmed Congress’s complete support for any governmental action responding to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which resulted in 26 civilian deaths. The Congress Working Committee has passed a resolution reflecting this united stance. She expressed hope that the Union government would act decisively to avenge the killings of innocent civilians and firmly address Pakistan’s support of terrorism.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised on Sunday that India, under competent leadership, is effectively addressing the Pahalgam terror situation. During his speech to students and faculty at the Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agriculture University in Gwalior, he said, “Bhartiyata is our identity and there is no dharma above Rashtra Dharma”.

“Rajamata’s life was an inspiration. She lived a life of sacrifice and dedication. Today, Bharat is facing the Pahalgam challenge….but today there is a powerful Bharat with an able leadership,” he added, as quoted by news agency ANI.

During a phone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denied any connection between Pakistan and the Pahalgam terror incident, as reported by media sources, quoted by news agency PTI.

Sharif dismissed attempts to associate Pakistan with the incident without proper evidence and reaffirmed Pakistan’s proposal for an “international, transparent, credible and neutral investigation” to establish the facts surrounding the terror attack.

Additionally, the prime minister expressed Pakistan’s willingness to include Malaysia in the investigative process.

The relationship between India and Pakistan deteriorated significantly after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in 26 fatalities, predominantly tourists, marking it as the most severe attack in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama incident.

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on Sunday took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray for being on vacation in Europe “while bullets flew in Pahalgam”.

By contrast, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde helped the victims, Deora said in a post on X. “From sons of the soil to tourists of India’…how far the Thackerays have fallen. While bullets flew in Pahalgam, they were vacationing in Europe.

Pakistan will brief the UN Security Council regarding recent regional tensions following the Pahalgam terror incident, according to their foreign office’s Sunday announcement.

The statement indicated that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar instructed Pakistan’s UN Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, to initiate immediate action to organise a Security Council meeting, as reported by news agency PTI.

This action follows heightened tensions between Pakistan and India after the Pahalgam terror incident. The attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 resulted in 26 casualties, marking the most severe incident in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack.

The Congress party urged the Central government to respond decisively against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror incident, emphasising that the nation anticipates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response. During the Samvidhan Bachao rally, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal questioned the government’s inaction, noting that a fortnight had elapsed since the Kashmir attack without any concrete measures being taken.

“Why has there been no action other than your threats through microphones and public meetings? The country is waiting for action from you, Mr Modi,” Venugopal said.
“The country wants to see your actions, not just challenges through words. The Congress and the INDIA alliance are with you in teaching Pakistan a lesson,” he said. The Alappuzha MP called on the Prime Minister directly, saying, “You have a 54-inch chest — now is the time to display it, and we are with you.”