PM Modi returns to Delhi from Saudi Arabia after Pahalgam terror attack leaves 26 dead: Watch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia following the tragic terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday. The harrowing terrorist attack took place on April 22 afternoon at a popular tourist spot in which at least twenty-six people, mostly civilians, were reportedly gunned by terrorists. In the brutal attack 20 others were injured.

As can be seen in the video below, PM Modi arrived in Delhi on Wednesday morning. Visuals from outside Palam airport show the Prime Minister being escorted amid high security.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah but decided to leave early and skip the official dinner hosted by Saudi Arabia.

PM Modi is reportedly convening a high-level meeting with key officials, including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

April 22 Pahalgam terror attack is being termed as the worst terrorist attack since the Pulwama strike in 2019. In the brutal attack women and elderly people were among those who became the victims of the gunfire. The gunshots were fired around 2:30 PM on Tuesday in the upper meadows of the Baisaran valley, according to media reports. The incident took place near the Pahalgam tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The terrorist attack comes at a time US Vice President J D Vance is on a four-day visit to India with his family, ahead of the upcoming peak tourist and pilgrimage season.

Complete shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir

A day after the deadly terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir is observing a complete shutdown. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, this is the first complete shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir. To protest against the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, separatist outfits raised shutdown calls on Tuseday which received support from mainstream political parties like National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, and Apni Party. 

Termed Kashmir Bandh and Jammu Bandh, the shutdown is jointly called by business chambers, trade bodies, transporters, students, and civil society to condemn the attack.