India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday.“We will pursue the gunmen to the ends of the earth,” Modi said in his first speech since the attack. The attack at Pahalgam was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians, rather than Indian security forces.Indian police have offered a Rs2mn ($23,500) bounty for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen.Modi led two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.“I say this unequivocally: whoever has carried out this attack, and the ones who devised it, will be made to pay beyond their imagination”, Modi said, speaking in Hindi during a visit in Bihar state.Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained in the operation.A soldier was killed yesterday in clashes with gunmen at Basantgarh in Kashmir, the Indian army said.Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar appeared calm yesterday, with residents expressing shock at the attack, which has hit the region’s key tourist industry hard, and fear of what is to come.“Everyone I have spoken to is heartbroken and shocked,” said Siddhi Wahid, a Kashmiri historian and political commentator.Tuesday’s assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.“It is a deliberate and targeted campaign of hate and vilification against students from a particular region and identity,” Jammu and Kashmir Students Association convenor Nasir Khuehami said.Modi called an all-party meeting with opposition parties yesterday to brief them on the government’s response to the attack.
