Innocent tourists never returning home: Mary Millben expresses solidarity with India

Washington, April 24: American singer Mary Millben has expressed his solidarity with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists and left many more injured and shared the grief of the families who lost their loves ones in the attack that took place at Baisaran valley meadow on April 22.

The American singer expressed her solidarity by responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's post, strongly condemning the Pahalgam terror attack.

"My beloved #India, I grieve with you in this difficult time following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Innocent tourists never returning home. Mothers mourning their sons. Women widowed. Children orphaned. My heart mourns with you. Grateful for the solidarity shared by @POTUS and @VP. PM @narendramodi and India, I too stand in solidarity with you. Now and always. I am praying fervently for you. #PahalgamTerroristAttack," she wrote on X.

https://x.com/MaryMillben/status/1915173656071946617

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday that, in recognition of the seriousness of the terrorist attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) took the following measures, which included five key decisions.

"The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own Defence/Navy/Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five support staff of the Service Advisors will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions," Misri said.

He also mentioned that the Integrated Check Post at Attari will be closed with immediate effect.

Other measures decided upon by the CCS include the abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty "with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism".Misri also said that Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. "Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled. Any Pakistani national currently in India under an SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India."

The Foreign Secretary said that the overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effected by May 1, 2025.

The attack, carried out by terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Reader Comments

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Sarah K.

Heartbreaking to hear about this tragedy 😢 It's beautiful to see international figures like Mary Millben showing solidarity. The world needs to stand united against terrorism.

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Rajiv P.

While I appreciate Mary Millben's gesture, I wish more celebrities would use their platform to actually pressure governments to take concrete action against terrorism sponsors.

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Michael T.

The diplomatic measures announced seem strong, but will they be enough? Terrorism continues to claim innocent lives year after year. We need lasting solutions.

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Priya N.

As someone who has visited Pahalgam, this hits close to home. Such a peaceful, beautiful place shouldn't be marred by violence. My prayers with all affected families 🙏

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David L.

The Indus Waters Treaty suspension is a bold move. Hope this sends a strong message while keeping humanitarian needs in mind. Tough balance to strike.

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Ananya R.

Respectful criticism: While the government's response is strong, I worry about ordinary Pakistanis caught in the middle. Not all support terrorism, and blanket measures might hurt innocent people too.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.