Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shortened his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 people dead.
On his return, Modi’s aircraft avoided Pakistani airspace, although he had used it while flying to Saudi Arabia. Indian news outlet NDTV reported this development on Wednesday (April 23).
According to NDTV, following the deadly attack in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, Modi ended his visit early and flew back to India. However, during the return journey, his special aircraft, “Air India One”, bypassed Pakistani airspace.
Flight tracking websites show that while Modi’s aircraft flew through Pakistani airspace on Tuesday morning en route to Saudi Arabia, the return flight diverted over the Arabian Sea and entered India through Gujarat before heading north to land in Delhi.
Shortly after landing at the Palam Air Force Base in Delhi, Modi held an emergency meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Originally, Modi’s trip was scheduled to conclude on Wednesday night. However, due to the terror attack in Kashmir, he ended the visit earlier. Jaishankar and Doval met with the Saudi leadership at the royal palace to explain the reason for Modi’s early return.
According to local media, the attack, which took place near Baisaran, three miles from Pahalgam in a mountainous area, also left many injured, some in critical condition. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, BBC reported.
Security has been heightened from the Kashmir Valley to Delhi following the incident. News agency PTI reports that as a precautionary measure, Delhi Police has ramped up security across the capital.