In a dramatic gesture of collective grief and protest, top newspapers in Kashmir went completely black on their front pages on Wednesday. The action followed in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 28 people many of them tourists and injured many others. The collective editorial blackout was a powerful statement of sorrow and a call for accountability following one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years.
Leading English and Urdu dailies like Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, Kashmir Uzma, Aftab, and Taameel Irshad dropped their usual layouts in favor of pages blackened with nothing but stark white and blood-red print. Greater Kashmir’s headline shouted, ‘Gruesome: Kashmir Gutted, Kashmiris Grieving’, over a blood-chilling red subheadline: “26 killed in deadly terror attack in Pahalgam.
Rising Kashmir’s editorial, ‘Terror Strikes Pahalgam’, was in bold white print, with a graphic of a bullet lodged in the word ‘terror’, highlighting the terror of the tragedy.
At the same time, Times Now on Wednesday reported that it had secured exclusive drawings of three suspected terrorists who were thought to have been responsible for the Pahalgam attack in south Kashmir. The suspects identified were Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. Authorities have also named the masterminds of the attack.
Mastermind of the Attack
Saifullah Sajid Jutt, also Saifullah Kasuri, an older Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, is suspected to have planned the attack, according to reports. A 45-year-old from Pakistan’s Punjab province, he is said to be based out of a LeT hideout in Islamabad. He has been portrayed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a “hardcore terrorist,” one who is reputed to use ISI connections and charity fronts to fund terror activities.
One other important personality of the attack is Aasif Sheikh Tanzeem, member of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), believed to be one of the assailants armed with guns.
In the aftermath of the attack, Pakistan made its first formal denial of involvement in the Pahalgam attack. “Nothing to do with the incident,” Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated. Interviewed by Live 92, a Pakistani television news channel, Asif termed the violence as ‘home-grown’, and blamed domestic tensions in India, citing Nagaland and Manipur as well as Kashmir.
His remarks came soon after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi abbreviated his official visit to Saudi Arabia and flew back to India. While New Delhi has not officially commented so far, Asif’s statement tried to counter Pakistani involvement claims. He asserted, “The attack was a reaction of those against the Central government in India,” depicting it as part of a larger internal uprising.
