Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 25 (ANI): Extending condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said Central government will identify, trace and punish the terrorists along with their backers.

Recalling the remarks of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Goyal said, 'I remember Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, cross-border and state-sponsored terrorism is a menace to civilised society. This is the moment when the entire country comes together and expresses the anger and collective commitment of the nation to give a fitting response to those responsible for this.'

Reminding people of the resolve taken by Prime Minister Narendra over the terror attacks, Goyal said, 'We will identify, trace and punish the terrorists and their backers. This is the resolve of every Indian... We faced the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and came back stronger. We gave a befitting reply to Pulwama attacks.'

Union Minister also expressed condolences to all the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

'There is outrage across the country from Kargil to Kaniyakumari against the attack on India's very fabric. We are all united in grief, pray for the departed and wish for quick recovery of those injured. We pray that strength is bestowed upon those families who are deeply impacted by this heinous and criminal act of terrorists,' Goyal said.

'This is a very sad and condemnable incident. The whole nation is standing united to give a befitting reply to these terrorists,' he added.

The attack in Pahalgam occurred on Tuesday at Baisaran meadow, where terrorists targeted tourists, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, and leaving several others injured. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the region since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans.

Following the attack, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reached Srinagar on Friday and took stock of the situation in the valley.

On Thursday, the Central government convened an all-party meeting to deliberate on the security situation and formulate a collective response to the attack. After attending the all-party meeting convened by the central government, Rahul Gandhi said, 'Everyone condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The opposition has given full support to the government in taking any action.'

The central government has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.

In the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and has closed the integrated Attari Check Post.

India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. The country further decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. (ANI)