In one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent past, at least 27 people, majority of them non-local tourists, were killed by suspected Pakistan backed terrorists in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam, Anantnag district, around 90 km from capital Srinagar.
Although it is too early to conclusively identify the perpetrators, initial assessments by security agencies — based on the recovery of M4 rifles and AK-47 ammunition at the LoC — point to the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. The group is believed to have been operating under assumed identities, reportedly on the instructions of GHQ Rawalpindi, to evade international scrutiny.
The Jammu and Kashmir tourism site defines the popular tourist spot as ‘Mini Switzerland’ because of its long dark meadows resembling the ones in Switzerland and is only accessible by foot or horseback.
The site of the attack and the victims were selected to give a larger message that Kashmir was not ‘normal’ as the global audience believes.
The terror attack in which at least three perpetrators were involved was carried out around 3 PM and visuals that later emerged from the spot showed bodies of victims, all male, lying on the ground with their female members crying inconsolably even as locals were trying to help the injured and the terrorised.
Source said that till 7 PM, there was at least 27 fatalities, all male, including one member from the defence forces, and all the victims were asked to recite a religious prayer before being shot dead in the head, in an execution type killing.
Till the filing of the story, the government was yet to release the official number of the dead with the newly appointed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Anantnag Amritpal Singh, who had assumed charge on Monday, not available for a comment. Sources told the Sunday Guardian that police were still ascertaining details.
Official sources confirmed that the victims were mostly non-locals. Reports suggest the attackers identified the tourists by checking their IDs before opening fire. This is yet to be officially confirmed.
The attack occurred just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Saudi Arabia, and a day after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Delhi for a four-day visit. The timing has raised serious concerns about a possible symbolic motive behind the attack.
This incident is being seen as a major setback to the security apparatus that had, until now, successfully prevented such large-scale violence.
The incident also draws chilling parallels to a similar attack 25 years ago in March 2000, when 35 Sikh civilians were massacred in Chittisinghpura, Jammu and Kashmir. That attack had occurred during the visit of then-U.S. President Bill Clinton. At that time Prime Minister Modi was the BJP incharge of Jammu and Kashmir and was among the first political leaders to rush to the spot after being informed of the attack by an old journalist friend who was based in Srinagar.
Tuesday’s attack marks a significant escalation in violence against civilians in the region and stands as the deadliest assault on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
Prior to this, the most significant civilian-targeted attack occurred on 9 June 2024, in Reasi district, where terrorists ambushed a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing nine and injuring 41.
Looking further back, the 2017 Amarnath Yatra attack resulted in the deaths of eight pilgrims. Before that the 2002 Qasim Nagar massacre, where 27 Hindu laborers were killed by terrorists was the one with the biggest casualties post the Chittisinghpura massacre.
The attack is likely to come as a massive dent to the tourism industry in the state which was witnessing increasing numbers in the last few years.
In 2024, the region welcomed around 3 million tourists, surpassing the previous high of 2.67 million in 2023 and marking a “golden era” for tourism. This growth follows a decade-high of 1.88 million visitors in 2022 and continues into 2025, with over 525,272 tourists recorded in just the first three months and one week, signaling a strong upward trend.
As soon as the news of the attack reached Delhi, PM Modi, who had just landed in Jeddah, directed Home Minister Amit Shah to rush to the spot.
Later, PM Modi wrote on X that “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice…they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed” suggesting that the government was looking at strategic options to retaliate, as it has done in the past including surgical strikes and air strikes on terror camps operating in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Last week, Pakistan army chief Asim Munir while speaking in Islamabad, had stated that the creation of Pakistan was needed while citing differences between Hindus and Muslims in “every possible aspect of life.”
