1 year of Pahalgam: 'India will never bow to any form of terror': PM remembers victims; Congress takes shot at Modi's foreign policy

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the "heinous designs" of terrorists will never succeed as he recalled the first anniversary of Pahalgam terror attack even as the Congress claimed that the perpetrator Pakistan managing global respectability reflected the “complete failure” of the “self-glorifying style” of his diplomatic engagement.

While Modi insisted he remembers the innocent lives lost in the gruesome terror attack and they will never be forgotten, top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi said the spirit of India “stands unbroken, resolute and united” against every act of terrorism and will “never bow before the forces that spread hatred and fear”.

“As a nation, we stand united in grief and resolve. India will never bow to any form of terror. The heinous designs of terrorists will never succeed,” Modi said about the incident in which 26 people were killed in a Pahalgam tourist spot.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh recalled that the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor had admitted that the incident was due to an “intelligence failure” but there is no clarity on the action taken "on this admission" even though the killers themselves were brought to justice a few months later.

"Pakistan stood isolated after it had carried out the terror attacks in Mumbai in Nov 2008. Its economy continues to be in shambles, dependent on largesse from external donors. Separatist movements are deeply entrenched in its polity and society. Its politics is dysfunctional and it is the Army that is calling the shots in the country," he said.

"Yet today, that very same failed state whose Army Chief had made inflammatory and communally provocative statements just a few days prior to the deadly deed, has now acquired a new global respectability. In many ways, this reflects the complete failure of the substance of the PM’s foreign policy and the self-glorifying style of his diplomatic engagement. Should he reset? Of course, yes. Will he reset? Most certainly he will not," he said.

Kharge said the nation will "never forget nor forgive" the sacrifices of innocent citizens, as he saluted the valour and sacrifice of armed forces, who fought with "unbridled determination and fortitude" during Operation Sindoor.

"We also remember our citizens at the border who lost their precious lives due to cross-border shelling. Their sacrifice is etched in the conscience of the nation. The spirit of India stands unbroken, resolute and united against every act of terrorism," he said.

Rahul said India will never forget their sacrifice and the pain of their families, nor will it ever forgive those responsible for this dastardly act.

"The memory of those innocent lives brutally snatched away still shakes our hearts today. The grief of the martyrs' families is the grief of us all. The martyrdom of those sons of the nation will forever remain etched in the soul of India. The entire nation stood united against terrorism and violence then, stands united now, and will always remain so. India will never bow before the forces that spread hatred and fear—we will stand against them with even greater strength, unity, and resolve," he said.