Cork's Indian community to hold vigil for those killed in Kashmir attack 

Members of Cork’s Indian community will hold a candlelit vigil in the city centre this evening to remember the 26 lives lost in a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday.

A group of six gunmen opened fire on tourists at a resort in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas sometimes described as the ‘Switzerland of India’, killing 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, and wounding 20 more.

The attack, in the Indian-held part of the disputed territory, which both nuclear-armed states claim as their own, was one of the deadliest in recent years in the troubled region.

The armies of both India and Pakistan remain on high alert along their common frontier, with India saying it held the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate responsible for the attack.

Pakistan has officially denied any involvement in the attack, and the Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs offered condolences for the victims.

On Thursday, Pakistan halted trade and India revoked visas in tit-for-tat retaliatory actions.

At 6.30pm this evening, Thursday, members of the UCC Indian Alumni Community and the UCC Indian Society will hold a candlelit vigil outside Brown Thomas on Patrick St to remember the victims of the attack.

The vigil is organised by Dr Lekha Menon Margassery, president of the UCC Indian Alumni Community and a former Labour Party candidate.

Those attending are asked to bring their own candle and, if possible, to wear a high-visibility jacket.