By Foday Moriba Conteh

During a Press Conference held on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Indian High Commission on Wilkinson Road in Freetown, the High Commissioner of India to Sierra Leone, Shri Baisnab Charan Pradhan, strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir and called for renewed international efforts to promote peace and eliminate terrorism in South Asia.

Addressing members of the press, High Commissioner Shri Baisnab Charan Pradhan recounted the events of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir, India. According to him, a group of armed militants stormed the area, targeting tourists based on religious affiliation. At least 26 individuals, mostly Hindu men, were killed in the attack, which he described as “horrific and barbaric.”

“The terrorists segregated people based on religion, asking questions and then shooting the victims mostly men at point-blank range in front of their families,” he stated. The High Commissioner stressed that this was not an isolated incident but part of a decades-long wave of terrorism supported by what he called “state-backed actors” in neighboring Pakistan.

He further emphasized: “The killing of 26 civilians on the 22nd of April by a group of terrorists with clear linkages, support base and training facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was new flash point. The attack took place in Pahalgam, State of Jammu & Kashmir in India. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. The only aspect that has yet to be resolved is the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to us.”

The High Commissioner accused Pakistan of harboring and training terrorists in camps near the Line of Control, naming groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jamat-ud-Dawa as the main perpetrators of past and ongoing attacks in India. He noted that these organizations are banned by the United Nations, the United States and several European nations but continue to operate with impunity in Pakistan with alleged support from the military.

“These groups are no different from global terror networks like Al-Qaeda or Boko Haram,” Shri Baisnab Charan Pradhan said. He referenced Osama bin Laden’s discovery and death in Abbottabad, Pakistan, as further evidence of the country’s role in protecting international terrorists.

High Commissioner Shri Baisnab Charan Pradhan listed several historical attacks linked to Pakistan-based groups, including:

- The 2001 Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly bombing that killed 38 people;


- The 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament;


- The 2003 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane en route from Kathmandu to New Delhi, which ended in Kandahar with the release of three jailed terrorists;


- And the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left over 166 people dead.

“These attacks are not just India’s problem they are a threat to global peace and security,” he warned, urging the international community to hold Pakistan accountable and to intensify efforts in combating terrorism worldwide.

Shri Baisnab Charan Pradhan disclosed that after the April 22 killings, India waited for 15 days, hoping Pakistan would act against the terrorist bases and individuals in their territory. Weeks later after the deadly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, India launched a series of precision strikes on terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, adding that the strikes - named "Operation Sindoor" - were part of a "commitment" to hold "accountable" those responsible for the 22 April attack in Pahalgam.

He added, India is only interested in bringing terrorists to justice, holding them accountable and giving justice to the victims of the terror. “And that’s what we did,” he affirmed

The Press Conference comes amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 massacre, with both nations being nuclear-armed and historically locked in a decades-long dispute over the Kashmir region. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/indian-high-commissioner-condemns-april-22-kashmir-attack-calls-for-global-action-against-terrorism/