Macron speaks to PM Modi on Pahalgam attack, says France stands firmly with India'

Paris [France]: French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and spoke about the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday, which claimed 26 lives and injured several others.

France stands with India in grief
Macron expressed France's support for India and its people in this hour of grief. He said France and its allies will continue the fight against terrorism wherever necessary. He shared details regarding his conversation with PM Modi in Hindi on X.

Macron calls the attack 'cowardly'
In a post on X, Macron stated, "I have just spoken to my counterpart @narendramodi about the cowardly terrorist attack on Tuesday, which resulted in the tragic death of dozens of innocent civilians. France stands firmly with India and its people in this hour of grief. France, together with its allies, will continue the fight against terrorism wherever necessary."

Macron's message welcomed by India
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Macron conveyed his condolences on the brutal killing of innocent people in the heinous terror attack. He called this kind of barbarism "totally unacceptable" and expressed full support from France for India.
"President @EmmanuelMacron called Prime Minister @narendramodi and conveyed his personal condolences on the brutal killing of innocent people in the heinous terror attack in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He strongly condemned the attack and expressed full support and solidarity with the people of India, adding that this kind of barbarism is totally unacceptable. Prime Minister thanked him for his message of support and conveyed India's strong resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice", Jaiswal posted on X.

French Minister echoes strong condemnation
On Thursday, Francois-Noel Buffet, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Interior of France, expressed his condolences on behalf of the French government over the deadly Pahalgam attacks. Speaking to ANI, Buffet said that the perpetrators should not be let go without any punishment. Francois-Noel Buffet is currently on an official visit to India.

United stand against terror
"I would like to say on behalf of the French government, to the Indian people and their leaders, our sadness, our anger too, and also our solidarity in the face of this incident. And it's in incidents like these that we need to express our solidarity and be together as nations to fight against terrorism. I would also like to send my thoughts out to people who lost their lives, and like to say that we'll not let the people who did this go unpunished. We'll fight against them together," he said.

Terror attack triggers global condemnation
The heinous Pahalgam terrorist attack, which occurred on Tuesday in the Baisaran meadow of Anantnag district, has drawn condemnation from across the world. The brutal incident turned a peaceful tourist destination into a scene of devastation, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, and injuring several others.

India responds with strong measures
Following the attack, India convened a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The central government has announced several diplomatic measures, such as closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, giving them 40 hours to return to their country, and reducing the number of officers in the High Commissions on both sides. India also halted the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960 in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

(With ANI Inputs)