From heartthrob Kurt to funny man Jambo, the original series of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks was filled with memorable characters but what happened to the actors who played them?
Hollyoaks launched back in 1995 and is still on our TV screens three days a week(Image: MERSEY TELEVISION COMPANY LIMITED)
Hollyoaks was the ’90s “sexy soap” filled with good-looking, tanned twenty-somethings. The Channel 4 hit quickly won fans as it balanced comedy moments with hard-hitting storylines tackling issues such as drugs, sexual abuse and cancer.
Marketed at younger viewers, the show’s original cast numbered 15 and expanded to 50 as it became a success. Hollyoaks won Best British Soap on two occasions at the British Soap Awards, its first win in 2014 ending a 15 year run shared by EastEnders and Coronation Street.
Several stars from the show, which was set in the suburb of North West city Chester, used it as a stepping board to acting success, while others were destined to become successful in other professions…
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Will Mellor
Will went onto star in Line of Duty and Broadchurch(Image: TV Times/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Laid back Jack-the-Lad Jambo was one of the most popular original characters in the soap, which actor Will joined when he was 19. The star appeared in the show for three years before moving to Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps in 2001.
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Now 49, Will remains a successful actor, starring in Broadchurch and Line of Duty. In 2021 he joined Coronation Street as drugs gangster Harvey Gaskell, spending nearly two years in the role and he even enjoyed a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, finishing 11th in 2022.
“I am so grateful to Hollyoaks,” said Will, who is married to dancer Michelle McSween with two children, Jayden and Renee, earlier this year. “I’ll always be in debt to that show. It was the show that changed my life.”
Nick Pickard
Nice guy Tony was once held hostage by a serial killer
Nick has played Tony Hutchinson since Hollyoaks began with his character experiencing testicular cancer and being stabbed and held hostage by serial killer Breda McQueen during that time. In 2017, the actor won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Nick, 49, originally only signed up for 26 episodes on the soap but told Digital Spy he hopes it goes on for ‘as long as it can’. “I love the show and love the people more than anything – they’re like my family,” he said.
In 2023, the star joined the cast of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! calling the opportunity to enter the jungle an ‘opportunity of a lifetime’. He was the fourth campmate to be voted out, with the reality contest won by Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson.
Nick enjoyed a year long relationship with his former Hollyoaks co-star Joanna Taylor, who played Geri Hudson, back in 2001. He is now in a long term relationship with girlfriend Sarah Corrin with a grown up daughter, Ellie.
Jeremy Edwards
Kurt ‘returned from the dead’ after 21 years (Image: Lime Pictures)
Like Will, Jeremy played his character Kurt Benson for three years, which saw the wannabe rock star enjoy a turbulent love life and a long running feud with villain Rob Hawthorne. Heartbroken viewers believed Kurt had been killed in a jet ski accident abroad but Kurt had actually been on the run and in 2020 he returned to the village on his motorbike, leaving his pal Tony reeling in shock.
Actor Jeremy said the pandemic had made his show comeback after 21 years difficult. “I was supposed to be there for six months to a year but COVID impacted that massively,” he said. “There was so many restrictions with filming that I couldn’t go near anyone and I only had one storyline.”
After his original stint on the show, Jeremy played student nurse Danny Shaughnessy in Holby City and appeared on reality shows including The X Factor: Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother. The actor was engaged to S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens but married Lydia Metz in 2009, going onto have children Scarlett and Theodore.
Acting jobs drying up in lockdown saw the 53-year-old parting ways with his agent and he is now working as a drama teacher, saying he ‘never enjoyed being famous’. “There are so many reasons why you can be out of work and I thought, this is so unpredictable and I have a family,” he told the Sun. “I thought I’ve got thirty years of experience here, what am I doing?”
Lisa Williamson
Lisa (left) became a successful author after the show(Image: Channel 4)
Dawn was the first member of the long-running Cunningham family to appear on Hollyoaks and was at the centre of many hard-hitting storylines, including an unwanted teenage pregnancy after sleeping with her best friend Ruth’s dad Jack. Actress Lisa appeared on the show for two years and went onto star in Dream Team and Siren’s Bay.
But the performer turned largely to voice acting on commercial adverts and she became a published author too. Her debut novel The Art of Being Normal was a bestseller which won the 2017 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for best older fiction.
Shebah Ronay
Hollyoaks poster girl Shebah is a muse for her artist husband (Image: London Features International)
Described as the Hollyoaks poster girl, Natasha Anderson was the first character to die in the show when her drink was spiked with an ecstasy tablet. The storyline came a year after the real life death of Leah Betts, who died after taking an ecstasy tablet on her 18th birthday.
Shebah, 53, went onto appear in 1998 film Things We Do for Love before moving to a career in modelling, presenting, and journalism. She is married to artist Jonathan Yeo, with two children, acting as muse for several of her husband’s artworks.
Yasmin Bannerman
Yasmin (right) played a memorable mistress in the original series of Cold Feet (Image: Mike Floyd/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)
Restaurant owner Maddie Parker was a background character for two years before an intense storyline involving her stalker ex propelled her to the forefront. Since leaving the show after two years, Yasmin starred in Merseybeat and Torchwood.
The 53-year-old actress played Jessica in the original series of Cold Feet, with her character having an affair with married posh financier David. She also starred in films Maybe Baby and Killing Me Softly.
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Brett O’Brien
Brett went onto act in several other shows(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Millions of Catholics on the African continent mourn Pope Francis’ death, which was witnessed thousands of miles away from the Vatican.
Due to the large number of African Catholics, who he was credited with promoting a liberal embrace of all races and his vocal support for poor and underprivileged communities, he was a key figure on a continent that was sometimes called the “future of the Catholic Church.”
Pope Francis reinforced recent Vatican conventions by reviving his predecessors’ engagements by visiting 10 African nations while serving as papal leader. Popes rarely left the Vatican before the 1960s.
Leaders in other parts of Africa are also grieving his passing. The late pope was referred to as “exemplifying servant leadership by his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and the vulnerable,” according to Kenya’s president William Ruto.
How, during his reign, the late Pope Francis placed Africa first:
On February 1, 2023, a devotee reacts as residents and the faithful attend a mass at N’Dolo Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pope Francis’ numerous trips to Africa
Pope Francis visited 10 countries during the course of his papacy, making five trips to Africa.
He made the decision to travel to countries that were at war or in low-level conflict. He also emphasized those who are dealing with problems with the economy and the climate. In an effort to bring peace, the pontiff did not shy away from holding mass in ghettos or kissing the feet of conflicting leaders.
In his 25 years of service, Pope John Paul II’s visits to more than 25 African nations modeled on those of Pope John Paul II, who altered how the Vatican communicated with the continent. Pope Benedict XVI spent two days in three African nations, including Nigeria.
When and where did Pope Francis travel to?
East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, and the Central African Republic (CAR)) in 2015
In November 2015, the pontiff made a six-day visit to three African nations, which was filled with colorful welcomes and significant mass gatherings.
The pope is still revered and remembered in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, for holding the mass in Kangemi, a low-income neighborhood. He criticized what he called “modern forms of colonialism” there and argued that the nation’s urban poor were underrepresented and excluded. He also criticized wealthy minorities, who, according to him, “hoard resources meant for everyone.”
The pope enjoyed traditional dances from various ethnic groups as a colorful welcome to Uganda. As he passed through the crowds of people gathering to catch a peep, he blessed dozens of children who had been thrust into his open-sided popemobile. Additionally, he spoke with more than 700 disabled people and went to a facility where disabled children are treated.
Before Pope Francis arrives in Bangui, Central African Republic, for a meeting with the Muslim community on November 30, 2015, a UN peacekeeping soldier patrols a street near the Koudoukou mosque. After rebel groups attempted to overthrow then-President Francois Bozize in 2012 [Andrew Medichini/AP]
Healing a shattered nation
The pope then made an unprecedented move in the CAR, entering a Muslim neighborhood as a result of months-long religious unrest.
Before then, Christians could not enter the PK5 neighborhood in Bangui, but as the pope made his way to a mosque there, crowds of Christians followed him there. As they embraced one another, those who had lost touch sobbed.
In his speeches, Pope Francis urged both sides to “lay down their arms” and referred to Africa as “the continent of hope.” After the visit, the warring factions would come to terms with a peace deal, but true peace would need to wait five more years.
2017-2019 North Africa (Egypt, Morocco)
Pope Francis traveled to Cairo, the largest Christian community in the Middle East, for two days in April to support the Coptic minority there. In Egypt, Coptic Christians have long been the target of hate and deadly attacks. Additionally, Francis addressed Muslim clerics there.
The pope also urged religious tolerance and inclusion during his March 2019 trip to Morocco, which King Mohammed VI had invited him to. He urged Morocco to uphold the rights of immigrant and refugee refugees.
Pope Francis leaves the plane for Port Louis, Mauritius, on September 9, 2019 [Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo]
2019 Indian Ocean (Malawi, Madagascar, and Mauritius)
Pope Francis turned his attention to Southern Africa, particularly those in the Indian Ocean, in September of that year.
In a region where climate change has intensified storms and destructive cyclones, he demanded that there be end to poverty and better protection of the environment in Mozambique and Madagascar.
On February 5, 2023, a man holds flags next to the audience as they await Pope Francis’s eve for a holy homily at the John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan.
South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2023.
The pope’s visit to the DRC symbolically called for peace and reconciliation in the troubled central African nation in the midst of ongoing conflict and a humanitarian crisis brought on by armed factions looking to control the country.
The pope had to postpone the trip due to ill health, so the DRC, which has the largest number of Catholics in Africa, was very important to him. Congolese welcomed him in the thousands.
South Sudan’s humble display
The pope in South Sudan demanded that Salva Kiir’s rival president and his deputy, Vice President Riek Machar, maintain peace. Since gaining its independence from Sudan in 2011, the nation, which is the youngest in Africa, has faced difficulties. Between factions loyal to the two leaders, which erupted right away, and until 2013, leading to the displacement of millions of South Sudanese.
The pope had expressed an unusual level of humility five years prior to their arrival in South Sudan, where he had had to lower himself with great difficulty to kiss the leaders’ feet while they were on a spiritual retreat to the Vatican. In order to protect the interests of the people, he urged them to adhere to peace agreements that had already been signed.
The nation has once more been in the grip of conflict since January. He wrote to the two leaders again in a letter in late March, calling for peace and dialogue as the pope was already dealing with more serious health issues.
Did the pope and the African bishops have a good relationship?
Yes, Pope Francis had friendly encounters with various African bishops and their organizations. Some people have also criticized him for his position on same-sex unions, though.
The pope authorized the same-sex couples’ blessing in the Church in an unprecedented way in December 2023. He forbade the practice of such blessings as long as they are not performed simultaneously with other civil unions and don’t fall under the normal rites of the Church.
African bishop organizations reacted strongly to this. Due to their religious and cultural beliefs, many nations on the continent are vehemently opposed to same-sex or other non-conforming gender categories.
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), a group that opposed the rule and called the union of same-sex or non-heterosexual people “unacceptable,” issued a statement. Under Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of the DRC’s leadership, the group stated that “these acts…must not be approved under any circumstances.”
Bishops from Asia also urged the Vatican to reverse its decision.
Pope Francis responded to the criticism by stating that, in addition to the union, his focus should always be on the people’s blessings. He said, “We are all sinners; why create a list of sinners who may enter the Church”:
Although the widely-used B&, M product is attracting comparisons to Laura Ashley’s version, there is a significant price difference.
B&M is selling a light shade to looks very familiar(Image: Getty)
A much more expensive product is being offered by B&, M. There might be a new favorite in stock, but the store is well known for its affordable items in the categories of homeware, food, cleaning supplies, and more.
The bargain retailer is currently stocking the Natural Wave Paper Rope Shade, which is drawing comparisons to luxury brand Laura Ashley. B&M took to Instagram to share the product.
The clip showed off B&M version of the product alongside a photo of Laura Ashley’s Libra Interiors Metal Gold/Jute Natural Natrang Wavy Pendant Shade. The post was captioned: The bargain lampshade of dreams! Can you believe this stunning rope shade is only £10?!
We think it looks fabulous because @emandfranhome has styled it in her bedroom. Who else “adores this shade”? !
More than 1, 000 customers viewed the short video, which also received a few comments. One person wrote, “It’s gorgeous,” while the other, “The best,” next to the post.
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A fourth shopper said, “Love this,” while a third shopper said, “We love ours”! and “I have two,” claimed a fifth person. Need to find these, according to another customer, “ohh love it.”
B&M’s Natural Wave Paper Rope Shade is being compared to the Laura Ashley Libra Interiors Metal Gold/Jute Natural Natrang Wavy Pendant Shade. They both feature very similar designs, with almost matching wavy shapes, though there are some slight differences, including the materials they are made with, as well as the B&M version being deeper than Laura Ashley’s.
The product description for B&, M reads, “Style up your space with this Wave Paper Rope Shade. The perfect way to give your home a sense of natural charm is with this decorative rope shade.
B&M’s Natural Wave Paper Rope Shade(Image: B&M )
The B&M shade is priced at £10, while the luxury version comes in at £70 (on sale from £145). This means shoppers could save £60 by opting for the bargain version of the product.
When Sunday’s 45th anniversary of the London Marathon takes place, records will be in doubt.
Course and world records will be on the line for stacked elite fields, and anyone who succeeds in the men’s and women’s races will receive a £98, 000 bonus.
With more than 56 000 participants expected, the event this year aims to break the world record for the most marathon participants.
The previous New York Marathon record was set at 55, 646 runners, but the Paris Marathon this month recorded 56, 950 runners.
London’s streets will be brimming with people who are passionate about advancing their own goals, some setting new records, and cheering themselves on throughout the 26.2 miles in the company of enthusiastic supporters.
route map for the London Marathon 2025
The runners will cross the finishing line after passing Buckingham Palace at Greenwich Park and arrive at The Mall.
Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, and Big Ben are just a few other notable locations in London that the mostly flat route passes through.
TCS London Marathon
London Marathon elite fields andamp; prize money
Eliud Kipchoge, who is regarded as the greatest distance runner in history and the first ever to complete a marathon in less than two hours in 2019, will make his London Marathon debut in 2020.
Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, two of Switzerland’s current Olympic and Paralympic marathon champions, will compete in the elite wheelchair competitions.
Hug, who won the 2024 Paralympics for the third time in a row, wants a seventh and fifth consecutive London victory, while Debrunner, who won the same five golds in Paris in the same year, aims for a third London victory.
Which British athletes compete?
Images courtesy of Getty
Alex Yee, the world’s best triathlete, will make his eagerly awaited marathon debut.
Mahamed Mahamed and Philip Sesemann are two of the British men who are aiming for the front after Emile Cairess was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Eilish McColgan, who previously missed her 2023 debut, will compete over 26.2 miles for the first time at this year’s London Marathon.
Charlotte Purdue, Rose Harvey, and Phily Bowden are just a few Britons who are a part of the women’s race.
Eight-time champion David Weir makes his 26th consecutive men’s wheelchair appearance.
What records should you challenge?
London Marathon course records:
world records for marathons:
Who among the stars is participating in the London Marathon?
The London Marathon will be contested by Britain’s most successful Olympian of all time, cyclist Sir Jason Kenny, who won seven gold medals in the process.
Former England international cricketers Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook will also be running for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, a charity founded after Strauss’ wife passed away.
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan makes his first appearance for Diabetes UK this year, while singer Alexandra Burke makes his debut in support of the organization.
Facts and figures about the London Marathon 2025
More than 56, 000 people were expected to compete on the day, making the total of 840, 318 applications for the London Marathon this year via the public ballot.
Since 1981, more than £1.3 billion has been raised for charity as a result of the race’s largest annual one-day fundraising event.
At the London Marathon this year, 103 runners will attempt to break 87 Guinness World Records.
Adele Roberts, the fastest woman to finish the six world marathon majors in eight months, will attempt to surpass her current speed record of the same with a stoma.
In two, four, and ten-person costumes, records will be broken.
Also watch out for:
What time does the London Marathon begin?
Elite wheelchairs from 08:50 BST
09: 05 – elite women
09: 35 – elite men
09: 35-11: 30 – mass event
London Marathon Day weather forecast
For marathon runners, the weather for Sunday in London appears favorable.
Although there might be some rain in the morning, the forecast calls for mostly sunny days and light winds.
How to watch the 2025 London Marathon
Following the coverage of the London Marathon on Sunday, April 27th, 2019 across BBC platforms (all times BST and subject to late changes):
24 April, Thursday,
19: 30-21: 00 BBC Radio 5 Live – London Marathon preview
Saturday, April 26.
BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and app-mini London Marathon from 8:30 to 10:30
13: 15-13: 45 BBC One – My Reason To Run
Sunday, April 27.
08: 00-18: 00 BBC Radio London – live coverage
08: 30-14: 00 BBC One – live coverage
00:30 – 00 BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and app-uninterrupted coverage
11:00-12:00 BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and app for Tower Bridge camera
12: 30-18: 00 BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website &, app – finishing-line camera
In response to China’s ongoing de facto trade embargo, Xi Jinping, has warned that tariffs threaten the interests of all nations.
Xi said trade wars “undermine the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurt the multilateral trading system, and impact the world economic order,” according to the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during a meeting on Wednesday.
According to Xinhua, “China is willing to work with Azerbaijan to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order founded on international law, firmly defend respective legitimate rights and interests, and promote international fairness and justice,” Xinhua said.
The two largest economies have effectively stopped trade since the introduction of punishing tariffs on each other’s exports, according to Xi’s remarks.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed a 145 percent tariff on the majority of Chinese goods, while China has imposed a 125 percent duty on US exports in response.
The International Monetary Fund revised its 2025 growth forecast from 3.3% to 2.8% on Tuesday, raising concerns about a global economic slowdown as a result of the trade war.
Following Trump’s and other top administration officials’ comments, which boosted hopes for a trade deal between Washington and Beijing, global stocks rose on Wednesday.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a speech to investors on Tuesday that a trade war with China was “unsustainable” and that he anticipated a trade agreement with China.
Trump acknowledged that the tariff on Chinese goods was “very high” and predicted that the rate would “come down significantly” over time in response to Bessent’s remarks.
Trump claimed that the number will not be anywhere near it.
The Trump administration should stop making threats if it wanted to reach a deal, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
In the most recent attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in a quarter century, rebels allegedly killed at least 26 tourists in the picturesque tourist resort of Pahalgam, sparking fears of an escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan.
The attack in Kashmir’s southern district of Anantnag prompted anger across India. The region, which has been wracked by a three-decade armed rebellion, is at its peak tourist season as hundreds of thousands of tourists travel there.
Soon after the attack, teams of police and paramilitary troops rushed to the spot to evacuate the wounded tourists and launch a manhunt for the attackers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia by resuming his meeting with India’s top security officials on Wednesday morning to prepare its response. Meanwhile, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and other top security officials rushed to Kashmir.
The attack also unfolded as India is hosting US Vice President JD Vance, who arrived on Monday and is scheduled to leave on Thursday.
What we know about the attack, the victims, the attackers, the setting for the killings, what this means for Kashmir and the area, and how India might react.
What happened?
One of the most popular tourist destinations in the area is Pahalgam, which means “valley of shepherds” in Kashmiri, which is located about 50 kilometers [31 miles] from Srinagar’s main city.
On Tuesday, witnesses told Al Jazeera that the area was bustling with tourists. A group of armed men in camouflage clothing reportedly emerged from a nearby forest at around 2:45 pm, a source said, requesting anonymity to discuss details that security forces have not directly disclosed.
The attackers “opened indiscriminate fire at Baisaran meadow, a scenic uphill area accessible only by foot or pony rides”, the official said. The sudden volley of bullets rang out in the minds of many tourists.
Simran Chandani, a tourist from Nagpur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, said that she was not sure she would survive the attack.
She said Pahalgam was “mini-Switzerland” at the time the attack started, “we were about to leave after having tea and a popular pre-packaged, ready-to-eat noodle snack,” adding, “We were already prepared.”
Then it all changed. She recalled, adding that primarily men were shot upon, “We thought the balloon had burst, people were pushing each other, and we saw a rush of people coming down.”
She joined the others in trying to escape. Chandani said, “I was running in the name of God.”
How many people were killed, and what do we know about them?
More than a dozen people were hurt in the attack, causing at least 26 fatalities.
The tourists killed were almost all civilians, and an Indian Navy officer from the northern state of Haryana on his honeymoon.
A 68-year-old former banker from Andhra Pradesh’s southern state of Pandurangapuram was killed as well. His wife was also there. The deceased also included a realtor from the southern state of Karnataka, an accountant from the eastern state of Odisha, a cement dealer from Uttar Pradesh in the north, and a , Gulf-returnee from the southern state of Kerala.
One Nepalese national was killed as well.
Who claimed responsibility for the attack?
The Resistance Front (TRF), a group thought to be an offshoot of Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba, was named in a statement issued in the name of the attack.
The statement linked the attacks to the thousands of residency permits being handed over to Indian citizens, permitting them to live and work in Kashmir. Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the statement’s veracity.
The Indian government had stripped Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in 2019, asserting more federal control and splitting the former state into two union territories. The decision caused the region’s political unrest and opened the door for the Indian government to grant non-Kashmiris residence permits, which had previously been prohibited.
Indian officials told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity that they suspected that four attackers took part in the killings – two of them from Pakistan, and two from Indian-administered Kashmir.
Have there ever been previous attacks on tourists?
Even amid Kashmir’s unrest, direct attacks on tourists have been rare.
Six foreign tourists were kidnapped by the Al-Faran armed group in Pahalgam in 1995. One was killed, another escaped, and the remaining four were never found.
At Nunwan in Pahalgam in 2000, 21 Hindu pilgrims were killed.
A year later, 13 people, including 11 pilgrims and two locals, were killed near Sheshnag lake in the same area. In a shooting incident in the Anantnag district in 2017, eight pilgrims were killed. In June last year, eight Hindu pilgrims were killed in the southern part of Jammu’s Kathua when their bus was attacked and fell into a gorge after the driver lost control.
However, it’s likely that Tuesday’s attack is the deadliest tourist attack since Nunwan’s attack in 2000.
Overall, Kashmir has not seen death in an attack on this scale since the bombing outside Jammu and Kashmir’s state legislature in October 2001, in which 35 people were killed.
Survivors and elected officials in the area were shocked by the attack’s nature and scale.
“We went to Pahalgam, and I was sitting on the chair in the meadow when I heard three shots, which created chaos”, said , Vinu Bai, a 65-year-old tourist from the western state of Gujarat who was being treated with a bullet injury in the district hospital in Anantnag. “Everyone began to run. The bullet in the chaos hit my arm”.
We believed Kashmir to be peaceful, but we were unaware that this would occur.
Iltija Mufti, a young politician associated with a local opposition group, said Pahalgam was usually patrolled heavily by Indian security forces. She said it was “incredibly shocking” for an attack like this to occur in a place like Baisaran.
“There’s no place for such an attack to take place in our society”.
After assailants indiscriminately opened fire at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, Indian police officers stood guard nearby.
How has the Indian government responded?
On Wednesday, India’s leaders met to discuss the country’s response.
Modi, who was earlier supposed to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a state dinner in Jeddah, cut short his trip and rushed back to India.
“The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir is absolutely unacceptable.” Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I appoint a quick recovery for the injured. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected”, PM Modi said in a tweet. “They will not be spared,” declares the statement “Those responsible for this heinous act will be brought to justice”!
Home Minister Amit Shah also rushed to Srinagar and met top security officials in the region. The government was criticized by Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, for “hollow claims” of normalcy in Kashmir since the special status was revoked in 2019.
“The whole country is united against terrorism”, Gandhi said. The government should now take responsibility and take concrete steps to prevent such barbaric incidents from occurring in Jammu and Kashmir and prevent innocent Indians from losing their lives in this way, according to the government’s statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir]AP Photo]
Will Pakistan be subject to India’s retaliation?
Experts said that the government’s response could include some form of retaliation against Pakistan for the brutal attack.
“This is a war action. That’s how we are seeing it. The announcement was made shortly after Pakistan’s army chief’s speech, according to Tara Kartha, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Center for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). Kartha, who was formerly an official at India’s National Security Council Secretariat, was referring to last week’s address by Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, where he reiterated his support for the two-nation theory that led to India’s partition in 1947, and affirmed “difference from Hindus”.
Kartha claimed that Pahalgam’s actions matched Munir’s “invective-loaded” address on April 16 with the same tone. “Only if Pakistan condemns the attack in the strongest terms and promises action against terrorists in the next 48 hours will a serious crisis be averted”.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Pakistan responded.
“We are concerned at the loss of tourists ‘ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it condoled the deceased’s immediate family members and wished them a quick recovery. India and Pakistan both claim all of Kashmir, and each controls a part of it.
Some experts warned against an impulsive response, even though that statement is unlikely to ease tensions in India, where the government will be under intense pressure to respond to Pakistan.
India’s relative stability compared with its “highly volatile neighbour” should inform its response, said Saba Naqvi, a veteran political commentator based in New Delhi.
She referred to Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that “many people here believe that the BJP regime will simply drop bombs there and everything will be avenged.” “But it is not as simple as that”.
On January 11, 2021, Indian tourists pass through Gulmarg, northwest of Srinagar, in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
What does the attack mean for Kashmir?
Politicians and civil society in Kashmir have condemned the attack, claiming that it caused more harm to residents than to anyone else.
“This is a terrorist act. I don’t believe I can think of it as anything else. Whoever has done it only wants to harm Kashmiris, our economy, and a sense of political stability that had returned to place in the past couple of months”, Waheed ur Rehman Para, a Kashmiri legislator from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), told Al Jazeera.
Tourism accounts for nearly 7% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), making up the region’s economy. A rush of visitors to Kashmir also serves the political messaging of Modi’s BJP that it has succeeded in bringing peace and calm to the region.
Even so, things in the area were a lot more unusual than before the Pahalgam attack. Since 2019, the Indian government has cracked down on political activists and civilians alike, arresting thousands of people under draconian laws that allow it to keep them under detention for lengthy periods without a trial.
After nearly a decade, Kashmir’s first elected head was chosen in October of last year.
Omar Abdullah, a popular provincial politician who campaigned on the promise of reinstating the lost autonomy, clinched a landslide victory in these polls. However, the new laws of the union territory severely restrict his authority, with many of his authority now being held by a lieutenant governor chosen by the president.
Still, the Pahalgam attack has brought many hoteliers and tour operators to the defence of tourists and against those behind the killings.
“This must be avoided at all costs.” What is most difficult, more than anything else, for us at this hour is the heavy human loss this has imposed. Tourism is not a top priority right now, according to former hotelier of Pahalgam Abdul Wahid Malik, who was also the guild’s president.
A landslide in Ramban village, a gateway connecting the mountainous Kashmir region with the plains of Jammu, has disrupted traffic in and out of the landlocked valley, pushing airfares higher and making it difficult for fear-stricken tourists to leave the region, following Tuesday’s attack.
Malik provided four rooms for a tourist family at his hotel after learning that they were in trouble. “We are duty-bound to ensure their safety”, he said. “Our family has been devastated by the attack.”
Tourism and business operators in Kashmir called for a shutdown on Wednesday. The incident shocked other residents, as well.
“Kashmir is known for being warm and hospitable”, said Nadiya Farooq, 31, a resident of Srinagar.
![Narendra Modi and the Pakistani army chief Asim Munir [AP Photo]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AP25044777628131-11-1745390343.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
