23 April 2025 : Punjab was put on alert on Wednesday in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, with the state government increasing security cover around religious places and tightening protection of individuals facing high risk.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, after chairing a meeting to assess the security situation in the state, said patrolling had been increased around public places besides educational institutes having students from neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by the state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, state intelligence chief, Vigilance chief and DGP Gaurav Yadav.
Yadav said after the terror attack last evening, the government had issued a security alert by first increasing the checking at the inter-state and inter-district boundaries and later increasing security and patrolling in the state, especially at public places with high footfall.
“We are in touch with the J&K Police and all intelligence agencies on a real-time basis. Pakistan is trying to bleed India through a thousand cuts. We have given a befitting reply to the terror modules and we will continue doing so,” the DGP said.
The Chief Minister asserted that Punjab, having over 530-km-long border with Pakistan, often became the target of a proxy war.
“This incident has proved that terrorists have no religion and their sole aim is to spread terror. We are firmly committed to ensure communal peace and harmony in the state and no one will be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace,” he said. Mann also cautioned against a new nexus of gangsters, smugglers and terrorists.
“They have been using drones to smuggle currency, weapons and drugs. Since we have tightened the noose around the drug smugglers’ neck, they might try to disrupt peace,” he said. “The gangsters who are spreading fear are all sitting outside the country and they hire shooters to carry out their nefarious designs. We are capable of dealing with them,” he added.
The Chief Minister said his government was in touch with the J&K Government and all efforts were being made to bring back Punjabis stuck in the Kashmir valley. The state Tourism Department was overseeing this, he said.
Assault on unity of country: Cong
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring termed the terror attack an “assault on the unity and integrity of the country”. Taking part in a protest held by party workers and leaders in Chandigarh, Warring expressed the deepest sympathies with the bereaved families.
Warring said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had already extended his support to the Union Government to deal with the situation and hunt down the perpetrators of the crime.
Summary: Following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Punjab has intensified security. CM Mann held a high-level meeting to prevent further threats and ensure public safety.