Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 25 (ANI): The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has sparked widespread condemnation from leaders across India. Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal have demanded stern action against the perpetrators.

Pawan Kalyan described the incident as a 'ghastly and painful' act of target killing, motivated by religious bias. He met with the families of the victims and expressed his outrage over the attack. He said that the incident is part of 'revival of Hindu genocide' and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

' It was a ghastly and painful incident. Today, after meeting Madhusudan's family and Chandramouli's family, it is very difficult even for me after hearing what they went through...I don't have enough strength to speak. In the name of religion, targeting people. It was a very clear-cut target killing....from 1986-1989 we used to visit Kashmir for Telugu films, so I knew how the situation had changed from 1986 to 1989...from that particular time to now, I feel it is a revival of Hindu genocide,' he said.

Pawan Kalyan, speaking from Andhra Pradesh, visited the families of victims, two members of the Telugu community, Madhusudan Rao and retired bank employee JS Chandramouli, who lost their lives in the attack.

Rao, a resident of Kavali in Nellore district, was on vacation with his family and was among the 26 tourists killed in the attack. The software engineer who had been residing in Bengaluru is survived by his wife and two children.

He urged the central leadership to respond firmly. 'Perpetrators, the terrorists behind this, should be brought to justice... PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Indian government, I believe they will take stern action.'

Meanwhile, speaking from Bathinda, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal called for a complete shutdown of trade with Pakistan until terrorist activities cease.

She suggested closing major ports in Maharashtra and Gujarat used for trade with Pakistan and the Attari border. Badal emphasised that the government should take a firm stance against Pakistan's drug trade and terrorism.

'There should be no agreement whatsoever with Pakistan until these terrorist activities completely stop. You have closed the Attari border, but the big ports of Maharashtra and Gujarat, from where the rich people do their businesses with Pakistan, should also be closed and stopped. If you want to teach a lesson to Pakistan, make it equal for everyone. The drug trade that Pakistan does via that route, and using ports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, should be stopped. Only closing the Attari border will not serve the purpose. We all want to teach Pakistan a lesson,' she said.

Terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen while leaving several others injured, in one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. (ANI)