New York: Members of the Indian diaspora gathered outside the Pakistan Consulate and at Times Square here to protest against the Pahalgam terror attacks.
The protestors waved the Indian tricolour and held banners that read ‘Declare Islamic Republic of Pakistan a Terrorist State – Pahalgam Hindu massacre’.
They also held a long banner that had the photos of the 26 victims of the terror attack, with the caption ‘CNN, NBC, NYT, WAPO, UN – Please share their names, show their faces’ along with the hashtag ‘Hindu Lives Matter’, ‘End Terrorism Now’, ‘Islamic Terroir – End Today’, ‘ Enough is Enough’.
The protests were held April 27, and an interfaith vigil against Jihadist terror was also held outside the Pakistani Consulate in New York, where members from diaspora communities waved the Indian and Israeli flags, jointly condemning terrorism and calling on the world to send a strong message to collectively combat terrorism.
A Hindu priest chanted prayers of peace for the victims of the attack, and community members at the vigil held a one-minute silence to pay their respects to those killed and injured in the Pahalgam attack.
In a post on X The Consulate General of India shared the photos from the protest and said “Condolences and Protest at Times Square, NY.”
“A large number of Indian community members and friends of India gathered at Times Square to express their deep sorrow and condemnation over the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The gathering paid tribute to the victims and extended condolences to their families,” the post said.
In another post, the Indian Consulate said, “The Dawoodi Bohra community in Queens, New York, held a heartfelt prayer meeting in solidarity with the victims of the tragic Pahalgam Terror Attack in Jammu & Kashmir.” The April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. The victims were mostly tourists from all across India.
Following the terror attack, India highlighted “the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack” and announced a slew of measures, including putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in “abeyance with immediate effect”, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers.
“We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished,” he said.
Messages of solidarity and support for India continued to flow from global leaders. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that the agency sends its condolences to all the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Kashmir — and will continue offering our full support to the Indian government.
“This is a reminder of the constant threats our world faces from the evils of terrorism. Pray for those affected. Thank you to the men and women of law enforcement who answer the call in moments like these,” Patel said.
PTI
