Political parties echo anti-Pakistan sentiment after Pahalgam massacre

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly pledged to punish the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre, a rare political consensus emerged across party lines with leaders from both the ruling coalition and the Opposition backing a hardline stance against Pakistan, which is now under sharp attack for harbouring and training terrorists to wage low-intensity wars on India.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the collective mood at Thursday’s all-party meeting was one of resolve and unity against Pakistan-backed terrorism. “The attack has shaken the peace in Kashmir, which had been gradually returning. The entire nation must come together to defeat this threat.”

At the centre of the discussion at the meeting was Pakistan’s role in viciously targeting India for terror attacks by training and enabling rogue elements.

“All parties condemned the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam,” said Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, following the meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “We have given the government full support to take any action it deems necessary,” he added.

The dominant refrain at the meeting was one of retaliation. Several Opposition leaders unequivocally supported a decisive action against terrorist infrastructure across the border. Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay underscored this sentiment: “We assured the government that all political parties will stand united behind any decision to protect national security.”

High-level consultations were held ahead of the all-party meeting, including meetings between Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and President Droupadi Murmu.

Prominent Opposition figures present included Supriya Sule (NCP), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), Premchand Gupta (RJD), T Siva (DMK) and Sasmit Patra (BJD), many of whom voiced support for intensified cross-border pressure.

What emerged from the meeting was a rare alignment of voices from across India’s fractious political landscape, united in outrage and intent: to hold Pakistan accountable for its continued support of terrorism and ensure that attacks like the one in Pahalgam do not go unanswered.

Earlier, in a rally in Bihar’s Madhubani district, Prime Minister Modi delivered a fiery address, declaring, “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”

In fact, India has already begun to act on its warnings to Pakistan. In a series of sharp diplomatic moves, New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, expelled Pakistani military officers and issued a short deadline for all Pakistani nationals to leave the country.

all-party meetingAsaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM)India-PakistanNarendra ModiPahalgamPremchand Gupta (RJD)Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party)Sanjay Singh (AAP)Supriya Sule (NCP)T Siva (DMK) and Sasmit Patra (BJD)terror attack