#IndiawithPakistan on Twitter

Millions of people turned to social media to express their shock following the tragic attack by the Taliban that has left more than 130 Pakistani schoolchildren dead. On Twitter, tens of thousands of Indians expressed their outrage using the hashtag #IndiawithPakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in a phone call and also expressed his shock on Twitter. He also called for all Indian schools to hold a two-minute silence "as a mark of solidarity."

On Wednesday (17.12.2014), Indian schoolchildren observed two minutes of silence and held special prayers to remember the young victims of the terrorist attack, which their prime minister has called "an assault against the entire humanity."

The discussions on many Indian TV channels focused more on the Pakistani government's counter-terrorism policy which they feel is faulty, but most Indian newspapers focused on the severity of the attack.

On Twitter, there are thousands of messages from Indian parents for the families of the victims in Pakistan. "A terrible moment in the history of humanity," one Indian parent writes in a letter addressed to Pakistan with an appeal to come together at this time of grief: "India needs to come to your help now – and Pakistan needs to accept that help – so that the scourge that killed 132 of your children yesterday is rendered powerless and impotent.."

But some users have criticized the hashtag.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been bitter. The countries have fought in three wars. And tensions following recent incidenst of cross-border violence in Kashmir, along with memories of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, have done little to help. So there are many Indians who feel that Pakistan had it coming. However, there have been more Indians expressing solidarity with Pakistan.