Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 23 (ANI): Karnataka Housing and Minorities Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a 'heinous and inhuman act' against innocent civilians.

Expressing deep anguish over the tragic loss of lives, including two victims from Karnataka, the minister said, 'It is a matter of great pain.'

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Khan said, 'All Indians must stand united and face these recurring forces behind such attacks like the one in Pahalgam.'

Referring to the central government's claim that peace had prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Khan urged the union government to take stringent measures concerning national security, as stated in the statement.

Khan also prayed for strength from God for the families of those who lost their lives in the attack.

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed officials to launch a special airlift operation for over 40 Kannadiga tourists stranded in Kashmir following a terrorist attack. The state government assured safe repatriation of every individual caught in the situation and urged families not to panic. The Chief Minister's office said that the Karnataka government has taken immediate action by deploying response teams and dispatching Minister Santosh Lad to oversee relief efforts on the ground.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the tragic terror attack that led to the death of many innocent lives on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation at the site of the terror attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow.

The Union Minister first took an aerial stock of the region as he arrived at the site by helicopter, descending onto the meadow now bearing the scars of violence, earlier in the day.

Earlier today, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team visited the Pahalgam terror attack site on Wednesday to support the Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) Police in probing what is considered the deadliest assault on civilians in the region in almost twenty years.

The NIA team - led by a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer - visited Baisaran a day after terrorists gunned down a group of tourists in the picturesque meadow, which is located around five kilometres from Pahalgam town in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Official sources privy to the development told ANI that 'the NIA team members will be assisting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the investigation. This has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (ANI)