Kin of Pahalgam terror attacks hail the retaliatory strikes

The Hindu

08-05-2025

Family members of the Pahalgam terror attack victims welcomed the retaliatory strikes by the Indian armed forces on Wednesday. Many expressed gratitude to the forces for the 'swift and fitting response'.
Rajesh Narwal, the father of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was among the 26 people killed by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22, said India's response will force Pakistan-based terrorists to think '100 times' before killing Indian citizens.
'When the Pahalgam incident happened, you [media] came to my home and asked what I expected from the government. My answer was that I had faith in our government. Today, the government has justified that trust,' Mr. Narwal told reporters at his residence in Haryana's Karnal.
The body of the Navy Lieutenant beside his wife, Himanshi, whom he had married three weeks before the
A photo of the Navy Lieutenant's wife, Himanshi, grieving beside her husband's body, had become the defining image of the April 22 killings.
As soon as the news about 'Operation Sindoor' reached the bereaved families in West Bengal, many said it would help them cope with their grief.
Sohini Adhikari, who lost her husband in the terror incident, said, 'I hope the terrorists get the most severe punishment so that no other wife and children have to see such days.'
Sarbari Guha, the widow of 52-year-old Sameer Guha, said, 'I don't know if they were able to get to those who carried out the terror attack. Those like me who suffered will never be able to come to terms with what happened in our lifetime.'
Meanwhile, Rajni Sahu, the wife of Border Security Force jawan Purnam Kumar Sahu, whom the Pakistan Rangers apprehended after he strayed across the border on April 23, said the retaliatory strikes had left her less hopeful about her husband's return.
'An apt name'
Priyadarshini Satpathy of Balasore, Odisha, whose husband was gunned down by the terrorists, said, 'The swift and precise military action is a fitting response. The name 'Operation Sindoor' symbolises the grief of our sacred vermilion being wiped away.'
From Maharashtra, Harshal Lele, who witnessed the murder of his father and two uncles, expressed a sense of closure. 'I am satisfied, my father will now be at peace,' he said.
The Kanpur-based family of Shubham Dwivedi also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces.
'All of us had faith in the Prime Minister and our armed forces. And the way the strikes were carried out at the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir repaid our trust,' said Ashanya Dwivedi, the deceased's wife.
'Annihilate Pakistan'
A woman from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, who lost her husband and a son to the terrorists' bullets, hailed the armed forces and urged the government to continue taking action against Pakistan.
'My son was in Class 12. He wanted to join the Army. But the terrorists killed him and my husband. I want to see Pakistan being annihilated,' said Kajalben Parmar.
(with inputs from PTI)