Pahalgam terror attack: Will Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem compete at Neeraj Chopra classic in Bengaluru?

Neeraj Chopra with Arshad Nadeem at the 2023 World Athletics Championships (Pic: AFP)

The horrific Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed at least 26 lives and left several others injured on Tuesday, has cast serious doubt over Pakistan's Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem's potential participation in the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru next month.

Scheduled for May 24 at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium, the Neeraj Chopra Classic is a landmark one-day international javelin event, uniquely named in honour of India's two-time Olympic medallist, Chopra, who clinched gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver in Paris 2024.

Among the elite global javelin throwers invited to the event, Chopra has personally reached out to Arshad Nadeem, extending an invitation for the competition. "Yes, I have spoken to Arshad Nadeem. He said he would discuss it with his coach and confirm. But as of now, he hasn't confirmed," Neeraj said, while addressing reporters.

However, the brutal attack in Pahalgam could jeopardise what would have been Arshad's first-ever visit to India. While Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif has officially denied any link to the incident, the attack has been claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), marking one of the deadliest strikes in the region in recent years.

This incident is among the most serious terror attacks since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. In response, Indian security forces have launched intensified search operations across the region to track down those involved. The normally vibrant tourist town of Pahalgam has turned eerily silent, with empty streets and heightened security visible in the aftermath of the attack. Several local groups have called for a Jammu bandh in protest.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is expected to take up the matter of strengthening security in Jammu and Kashmir, with a particular focus on the Pahalgam region, according to Defence Ministry sources.

In a significant diplomatic development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, cut short his trip in light of the attack. Skipping the official banquet hosted in his honour, PM Modi returned to New Delhi earlier than scheduled on Wednesday morning, underscoring the gravity of the situation in Kashmir.