M M Akbar arrested in Hyderabad en-route to Qatar; likely to be grilled by Kerala police

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday released sketches of three individuals suspected to be involved in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed. The police have identified two of the suspects as Pakistani nationals and have announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for credible information leading to their arrest.

According to the notices made public by the Anantnag police, the suspects are: Hashim Musa alias Suleman, a citizen of Pakistan, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, also a citizen of Pakistan and Abdul Hussain Thokar, a resident of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir. All three are believed to be members of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The attack, which took place in Baisaran near Pahalgam on Tuesday, claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. It is one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in recent years.

In response to the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a strongly worded statement today during a public address in Bihar. In his first remarks since the incident, PM Modi said, "India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India's resolve will not falter. Terrorism will not go unpunished."

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Modi, held an emergency meeting yesterday and announced a set of five retaliatory measures against Pakistan.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing the media yesterday evening, announced that both Indian and Pakistani high commissions will reduce their staff strength from 55 to 30, effective from 1 May. Military, naval and air advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and must leave within a week. India will similarly withdraw its advisors from Islamabad.

Pakistani nationals will no longer be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme. All existing visas under this scheme are cancelled, and current holders must leave India within 48 hours. The only land border crossing between India and Pakistan is now shut. Pakistani citizens who crossed into India via Attari with valid permissions must return before 1 May.

India has also put the 1960 agreement in abeyance until Pakistan ceases support for terrorism. 

Earlier today, a huge protest erupted outside the Pakistan High Commission in the national capital amid heightened tensions between Delhi and Islamabad over the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. 

Visuals from outside the Pakistan High Commission, located in Chanakyapuri, Delhi's diplomatic enclave, show a large crowd gathered outside the building, with police forces trying to pacify it.

US President Donald Trump's administration intends to press India to give online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart full access to its $125 billion e-commerce market, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing industry executives, lobbyists and US government officials.

The US plans to push Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for a level playing field on e-commerce in wide-ranging talks on a US-India trade agreement set to also cover sectors from food to cars, the newspaper reported.

It did not mention what measures the Trump administration expects from the Indian government.

Amazon and Walmart operate in India through local units but face restrictions on holding inventory and directly selling to consumers, unlike domestic firm Reliance, which can open physical stores and leverage its vast retail network to reach customers across the country.

Amazon and Walmart did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

India and US are in the middle of chalking out a trade deal as part of New Delhi's efforts to avoid US tariffs.

US Vice President JD Vance also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, as officials in New Delhi expect to clinch a trade deal with the U.S. within the 90-day pause on tariff hikes announced by Trump on April 9 for major trading partners.

New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain petitions filed by the NIA against the bail granted to 17 Popular Front of India members in the 2022 murder case of RSS leader Srinivasan in Kerala's Palakkad district.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and N Kotiswar Singh noted that the Kerala High Court order granting bail to the accused is one-year-old and the HC has the power to cancel bail if the conditions are violated.

"Our attention is invited to observation made in the last part of the impugned order by which high court has reserved liberty to the petitioners to apply to special court for cancellation of bail.

"Therefore, the petitioners can always apply to the special court for cancellation of bail on the grounds which are set out in the affidavits filed in these petitions. In fact the special court will be the more appropriate court," the bench said.

The top court said the agency can satisfy the special court about the breach of terms and conditions of grant of bail by producing materials against the accused.

"Therefore, at this stage we decline to entertain the special leave petitions with liberty to the petitioners to move the special court/high court for cancellation of bail. Needless to say that if the prayer made by petitioner does not succeed before the special court/high court remedies of the petitioners remain open.

"We make it clear that as and when application is made for cancellation of bail the special court or high court should not be influenced by the fact that this court has declined to entertain the present special leave petitions," the bench said.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Raja Thakare, appearing for the NIA, sought cancellation of the bail and submitted that the accused have violated the bail conditions and have contacted the witnesses.

The Kerala High Court on June 25, 2024 granted bail to the 17 accused PFI members, who are also facing trial for allegedly instigating communal violence in the state and other parts of the country.

Granting bail to 17 of the 26 accused, the high court imposed stringent conditions, which include sharing their cellphone numbers and real-time GPS locations with the investigating officer.

Aside from that, the accused were ordered not to leave Kerala, surrender their passports and keep their cellphones charged and active round-the-clock.

It had directed the 17 to "present themselves before the special court which shall enlarge them on bail on such conditions as the special court may deem necessary".

Initially, 51 persons were arraigned as accused in connection with the murder of Srinivasan on April 16, 2022. One among those held died while seven others are absconding.

Chargesheets against the remaining persons were filed in two phases in July and December, 2022.

While police was investigating the murder, the Centre received information that the office bearers and cadres of the Popular Front of India and its affiliates in Kerala had conspired to instigate communal violence and radicalise its cadres to commit terrorist acts in Kerala and other parts of the country, the high court noted in its order.

Therefore, the Centre in September, 2022 directed the National Investigation Agency to take up and probe the case against the accused.

On December 19, 2022, the Centre, referring to Srinivasan's death, opined there was a larger conspiracy hatched by the leaders of the PFI "which has grave national and international ramifications" that needed to be "thoroughly investigated to unearth the wider conspiracy and to identify the other accused".

The Centre directed the NIA to take up the probe in the murder case as well, and the agency filed its consolidated chargesheet in 2023 with two supplementary chargesheets later.

Immediately after the respective NIA chargesheets were filed before the special court, the accused moved for bail.