Pahalgam Terror Attack LIVE Updates: Chinese envoy meets Pak PM Sharif, discusses India-Pakistan tensions

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad and exchanged views on the India-Pakistan tensions as Beijing kept abreast with the evolving situation. Official media here quoted a press release by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on Friday stating that Jiang met Sharif on Thursday and reiterated China's earlier call for both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint.

China understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns and supports its efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests, the press release quoted Jiang as saying.

He expressed China's support for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident and called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, meet each other halfway, properly manage differences, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, the release said.

Sharif briefed Jiang on recent tensions and expressed appreciation for China's constructive efforts to promote peace and stability in South Asia and to help de-escalate the situation, according to the release.

Sharif expressed willingness to continue communication and coordination with all parties to jointly prevent further escalation and uphold peace and stability in South Asia, the press release stated.

This is the second engagement between the "all-weather allies" after the Pahalgam terrorist attack which China condemned. Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed in the attack on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. (PTI)

"Despite being deeply saddened by the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, PM Modi still attended today’s event, which reflects his unwavering commitment. We fully support him in taking strong decisions to combat terrorism," says Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir called on residents near the de facto border with India to stockpile food on Friday as tensions flare between the arch-rivals following a deadly attack last month.

India blames Pakistan for backing a shooting on civilians at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 men.

Islamabad has denied the charge and the uneasy neighbours have issued a raft of tit-for-tat punitive diplomatic measures.
The two nuclear-armed countries have exchanged gunfire for eight consecutive nights along the militarised Line of Control, the de facto border that separates the contested Kashmir region.

"Instructions have been issued to stock food supplies for two months in the 13 constituencies along the Line of Control (LoC)," the prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, told the local assembly on Friday.
The regional government has also created an emergency fund of one billion rupees ($3.5 million) to ensure the supply of "food, medicines and all other basic necessities" to the 13 constituencies, he said.

Government and privately owned machinery was also being deployed to maintain roads in the areas along the LoC, he said.
In Muzaffarabad, the region's capital, dozens of protesters rallied under the banner of a Kashmiri political coalition, chanting "Death to India" and calling for "Jihad", according to an AFP journalist.

"This protest march is a show of solidarity with the Pakistan military," Farooq Rahmani, one of the organisers of the protest told AFP.

"If there is any misadventure (by India), we are ready to respond firmly," he added.

The attack in Indian Kashmir and subsequent tensions, including expulsions and closed border crossings, have raised fears of a conflagration between India and Pakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave the military "complete operational freedom" to respond to the attack.
Pakistan said earlier this week it had "credible evidence" that India is planning an imminent military strike, vowing that any attack would be met with a response.

Fearing a military escalation, authorities in Pakistani Kashmir shut more than 1,000 religious schools for 10 days on Thursday.

India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full, have fought over the Himalayan territory since the end of British rule in 1947.

Pakistan on Friday announced that it would continue to keep the Wagah border crossing open for its citizens stranded in India, following New Delhi's decision to revoke visas in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is conducting take-off and landing exercises on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh

The exercise is being organised to assess the expressway’s potential as an alternative runway during times of war or national emergencies.

The Supreme Court instructed authorities to authenticate the identity documents of six members of a Jammu and Kashmir family who are at risk of being deported to Pakistan.

Ten days after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including her husband Shubham Dwivedi, Ashanya said on Thursday that no effective action has been taken against those responsible. Shubham Dwivedi, 31, was among the victims killed in the April 22 attack, which mainly targeted tourists in the Baisaran area of Pahalgam.

The UN Security Council may hold a meeting "sooner rather than later" to discuss the situation between India and Pakistan, the Council’s president said, noting concerns about increasing tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.

"Of course, if a request comes for a meeting, then...I think this meeting should take place because, as we said, maybe it's also an opportunity to have views expressed and this might help to diffuse a bit tensions. We will see," said Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, the Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations and president of the Security Council for the month of May, in response to a question by news agency PTI.

Pakistani troops carried out unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in five districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. The Indian Army responded to the firing. This marks the eighth straight night of such incidents, following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.

Residents living near the LoC and IB have started cleaning out their community and personal bunkers to prepare for possible shelling if the situation escalates.

"Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict," Vance said in a podcast interview with Fox News.

American vice-president JD Vance said on Thursday that the US hopes that Pakistan would cooperate with India to hunt down the Pakistan-based terrorists responsible for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month.

"Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict," Vance said on Thursday in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" show.

"During the night of 01-02 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked small arms firing from posts across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor areas of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Indian Army troops responded in a calibrated and proportionate manner," says Indian Army

"The world is facing a dangerous thing, intolerance. Pakistan was founded, and it would have been good if the Muslims had remained together peacefully. However, after the formation of Pakistan, tensions arose between those who speak Bangla and Urdu... Pakistan is still facing that intolerance. Sindhis, Pashtuns, Balochs do not want to live together," he said.

"We are monitoring closely. Yesterday, the Secretary spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. As President Donald Trump articulated to Prime Minister Modi last week, the United States stands strong with India against terrorism, and Prime Minister Modi has our full support," she said.

Rajani Shaw, wife of BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw who is currently detained in Pakistan, traveled from her home in Rishra to Pathankot on Monday to seek updates on her husband’s condition and efforts for his release. Purnam was detained by Pakistan Rangers last Wednesday after accidentally crossing the border.

After meeting BSF officials, Rajani flew back to Kolkata from Amritsar, reassured that the force was making every effort to secure her husband’s return and that remaining on-site would not aid the process. "The officer told me that talks with Pakistan Rangers was underway and a resolution appeared to be on the horizon," she said.

“We are going to work with all international and regional partners to ensure that we create the conditions where there can be dialogue, which is not taking place at the moment,” British foreign minister Lord Collins of Highbury said.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Thursday to discuss security amid rising tensions with India after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. They vowed to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty and respond firmly to any aggression, emphasizing national unity behind the armed forces. Separately, Sharif spoke with Qatar’s Amir, offering cooperation for a transparent investigation. Meanwhile, India imposed punitive measures on Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari border, and downgrading diplomatic ties over alleged cross-border links to the attack.

In a significant move underscoring the military’s dominance in Pakistan’s security and political affairs, ISI chief Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik was appointed as the country’s National Security Adviser (NSA) on Thursday. This marks the first time the head of Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency will simultaneously hold the NSA position. The appointment, effective immediately, comes less than 10 days after the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, escalating tensions with India and fueling a diplomatic standoff.

The United States has urged India and Pakistan to avoid military conflict and work toward peace following the Pahalgam terror attack. In a call with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio encouraged dialogue to ease tensions. Rubio also spoke with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging cooperation in investigating the attack. While Jaishankar stressed accountability for the perpetrators, the US reiterated its stance that under President Trump, those supporting terrorism would face consequences.