UK stands with India, rejects BBC's denial on Pahalgam terror attack: 'Let me be clear...'
Written By Navashree Nandini
Published: Apr 30, 2025, 03:25 IST | Updated: Apr 30, 2025, 03:25 IST
Story highlights
The UK government said that it supports India in bringing perpetrators to justice as the UK's Parliament discussed the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The UK government on Wednesday said that it supports India in bringing perpetrators to justice as the UK's Parliament discussed the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. It also called for calm and dialogue between India and Pakistan at a time of heightened tensions in the region. The discussions in the UK's Parliament were held for 45 minutes after British Sikh Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan tabled an “Urgent Question” in the House of Commons.
Singh asked about the role Britain is playing in supporting India in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer responded by saying “The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April was devastating… We call on all sides, all community leaders and all involved to call for calm at a time of tension in the region...We want to see the perpetrators held to justice properly, and we will be supporting India to do so,” said Falconer.
Falconer was also asked to address the BBC’s reference to the attack as “militancy”, to which he responded: “I resist calls for ministers to police the BBC’s language too much, but let me be clear: this was a horrific terrorist attack, and that is the view of the British government.”
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Both Conservative and Labour MPs overwhelmingly supported India and called for justice. British Conservative MP Bob Blackman condemned the attack and called on the UK government to provide full support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. Blackman described the 22 April terror attack as “well organised and coordinated”. “The sad reality is this: whilst the government may give expressions of condolences and support for the people of India, the fact remains that the terrorist bases that exist in the part of Kashmir, illegally occupied by Pakistan."
Earlier on April 25, Blackman addressed an event at India House and backed India for any steps it takes to pursue justice. “I would strongly support whatever India does to pursue the terrorists and those who have backed the terrorists, make sure they are brought to justice. If they can't be brought to justice, they must be eliminated,” he had said.
Labour Party MP Catherine West who is also Minister for the Indo-Pacific, said the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder with India in the face of the cowardly attacks of terrorism against innocent civilians.” Another Labour MP Barry Gardiner urged a tougher stance on Pakistan and asked: “Is it not time to make the support we give to Pakistan conditional on them finally closing down the terrorist training camps that they harbour?”
Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, condemned the attack as a deliberate act aimed at disrupting normal life in Jammu and Kashmir. “This is the largest killing of civilians since the Mumbai terror attacks,” he said. “People were pulled out, identified on the basis of their religious identity and shot dead... The purpose of this exercise was purely to create terror and to undermine the ongoing normalisation of circumstances in Jammu and Kashmir. We will never forget, we will never forgive, and we will exact a punishment.”
A terror attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district killed 26 tourists. An offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - The Resistance Front (TRF) - claimed responsibility for the attack. However, they retracted their statement on April 26, claiming that its social media was compromised. However, the Indian government launched a massive crackdown against the terrorists and released sketches of three terrorists who were responsible for the attack. As per J&K Police, two terrorists involved in the attack were Pakistani nationals and the third, was a resident of Anantnag in Kashmir. His home along with the homes of several other terrorists, have been demolished.
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On the diplomatic front, the Indian government halted the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled its diplomats, called back Indian officials from Islamabad and closed the Attari border. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I say to the whole world. India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth."
Pakistan denied any involvement in the attack with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif calling for a "neutral probe." Pakistan also resorted to issuing a "war threat" over the halting of the Indus Waters Treaty. Moreover, in a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan announced reciprocal action and warned of ending the Simla Agreement, along with shutting down Pakistani airspace for Indian flights.