Bureau, April 24, 2025 – In one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent memory, suspected militants opened fire on tourists in the picturesque Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, a popular resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. The assault, which claimed at least 26 lives and injured over a dozen others, has reignited tensions in the volatile region and sparked a fierce debate over Pakistan’s alleged involvement in fueling terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The attackers’ reported practice of identifying victims’ religion before killing has added a chilling dimension to the tragedy, raising questions about the motives behind this heinous act.
A Day of Horror in Paradise
The attack occurred around 2:50 PM IST in the serene Baisaran Valley, often dubbed a “mini Switzerland” for its lush meadows, pine forests, and snow-capped peaks. Hundreds of tourists, both domestic and international, were enjoying the pleasant weather after days of rain when chaos erupted. According to eyewitnesses, a group of four to seven gunmen, dressed in military-style camouflage uniforms and armed with M4 carbines and AK-47 rifles, emerged from nearby forests. Survivors recounted a terrifying scene as the attackers moved systematically through the crowd, demanding victims’ names and ordering them to recite Islamic verses, such as the Kalma, to determine their religion.
“They asked for IDs and checked for circumcisions to identify non-Muslims,” said one survivor, Debasish Bhattacharyya, a Hindu professor from Assam, who narrowly escaped death by reciting Islamic verses he had learned growing up in a mixed neighborhood. “Those who failed were shot at close range. It was a massacre.”
Among the 26 confirmed fatalities were 25 Indian tourists from states including Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as one Nepalese national. Two foreign tourists, one from the United Arab Emirates, were also reported among the dead. The casualties included a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau official, underscoring the attack’s audacity. At least 20 others were injured, many in critical condition, and were rushed to hospitals in Anantnag and Srinagar.
A particularly heart-wrenching story emerged of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a local Kashmiri Muslim and pony ride operator, who was killed while attempting to shield a tourist. According to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Shah tried to disarm one of the attackers, an act of bravery that cost him his life. “Perhaps he tried to stop them and take away a terrorist’s gun,” Abdullah said during Shah’s funeral prayers, pledging government support for his family.
The attack, described by Abdullah as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” shattered the fragile peace in Kashmir, where tourism has been a cornerstone of the local economy. Pahalgam, a key stop for the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage, had seen a record influx of visitors in recent years, bolstered by improved security following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019. The targeting of tourists, a rarity in the region’s decades-long insurgency, sent shockwaves across India and prompted an immediate exodus of visitors from the Kashmir Valley.
The Resistance Front Claims Responsibility
Within hours of the massacre, a little-known militant group, The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility through a social media message. TRF, widely regarded by Indian security agencies as a proxy for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen, cited the settlement of over 85,000 “outsiders” in Kashmir as a primary grievance, alleging it was driving a “demographic change” in the Muslim-majority region. The group claimed the victims “were not ordinary tourists” but were “linked to Indian security agencies,” a claim unsupported by evidence and dismissed by authorities.
Indian intelligence agencies identified Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, a senior LeT commander, as the mastermind behind the attack. Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches of three suspected attackers—identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha—believed to be Pakistani nationals. Two local Kashmiris, Adil Guri of Anantnag and Ahsan of Pulwama, who had reportedly crossed into Pakistan in 2018 for training, were also implicated. “The two infiltrated recently with three to four other Pakistani men,” a government source told The Hindu. The attackers were reportedly equipped with helmet-mounted cameras, recording the assault, a tactic often used by militant groups for propaganda.
Pakistan’s Alleged Involvement: A Contentious Debate
India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad consistently denies. The Pahalgam attack has intensified these accusations, with Indian officials pointing to the involvement of LeT and the presence of Pakistani nationals among the attackers as evidence of cross-border orchestration. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, the closure of the Attari-Wagah border, and the cancellation of SAARC visa exemptions for Pakistani nationals. Military advisers at Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi were expelled, and India reduced its diplomatic staff in Islamabad.
Indian security analyst C. Uday Bhaskar told Al Jazeera that the attack aimed to draw global attention to Kashmir, particularly after India’s intensified military crackdown following the 2019 revocation of Article 370, which granted the region partial autonomy. “The attack has made headlines across the world, ticking the first box of the attackers’ objectives,” Bhaskar said. Indian intelligence also pointed to recent inflammatory rhetoric from Pakistan’s military leadership, including a speech by Army Chief General Asim Munir on April 16, 2025, emphasizing the “Two-Nation Theory” and highlighting “stark differences between Hindus and Muslims.” A subsequent rally in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on April 18, led by LeT commander Abu Musa, called for “jihad and bloodshed” in retaliation for Article 370’s abrogation, further fueling suspicions of Pakistan’s complicity.
Pakistan, however, has categorically denied any involvement. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in an interview with Live 92 News, dismissed India’s allegations, stating, “Pakistan has no connection with this. These are local uprisings, from Nagaland to Kashmir, Chhattisgarh to Manipur. It’s not foreign interference.” Asif framed the violence as a reaction to “Hindutva-led repression” of minorities in India, a narrative that sharply contrasts with India’s position. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry expressed condolences for the loss of lives and wished the injured a speedy recovery, but the statement did little to quell India’s anger.
Critics of India’s stance, including some regional analysts, caution against hasty escalation. Veteran political commentator Saba Naqvi argued that India’s “relative stability” compared to Pakistan’s volatility should inform a measured response. “Only if Pakistan condemns the attack in the strongest terms and promises action against terrorists in the next 48 hours will a serious crisis be averted,” an unnamed Indian official told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, posts on X reflected polarized sentiments, with some users accusing Pakistan’s military of direct involvement, while others urged restraint and condemned the attack as a humanitarian tragedy.
Why Target Religion?
The attackers’ reported practice of identifying victims’ religion before killing has sparked widespread outrage and fear. Eyewitness accounts suggest the gunmen deliberately targeted non-Muslims, sparing those who could recite Islamic verses or prove their Muslim identity. This selective violence aligns with TRF’s stated grievances against the settlement of non-Kashmiris, particularly Hindus, in the region following the 2019 policy changes. The revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A allowed outsiders to buy land and obtain jobs in Kashmir, a move many locals feared would alter the region’s Muslim-majority demography.
The targeting of non-Muslims appears to be a calculated attempt to deepen communal divides and destabilize Kashmir’s fragile social fabric. “Today, if a militant asks tourists what is your religion, it means that Pakistan-sponsored militants have attacked our humanity and Kashmiriyat,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, president of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party, in Srinagar. The attack’s timing, coinciding with the peak tourist season and a visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, suggests an intent to maximize global attention and disrupt Kashmir’s booming tourism industry, which employs thousands of locals.
However, the death of Shah, a Kashmiri Muslim, complicates the narrative of religious targeting. His killing, reportedly for resisting the attackers, underscores the indiscriminate nature of violence in conflict zones. Local Kashmiris, already reeling from decades of unrest, expressed grief and fear of backlash. “All of Kashmir is in shock. Terror has no religion, but we are being defamed,” said Nasir Khuehami of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, highlighting concerns about rising anti-Muslim sentiment in India.
A Region on Edge
The attack has plunged Kashmir into a state of heightened alert. Indian security forces, including the Army and paramilitary units, launched a massive manhunt in Pahalgam’s forested hills, cordoning off the area to track the attackers. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) initiated a probe, visiting the site on April 23 to collect evidence. In a separate incident on April 23, the Indian Army reported killing two gunmen in Baramulla district after they attempted to cross from Pakistan, recovering rifles, a pistol, and explosives.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia, vowed that the perpetrators “will be brought to justice.” Home Minister Amit Shah, who chaired an emergency security meeting in Srinagar, echoed this resolve, stating, “Those involved in this dastardly act will face the harshest consequences.” Internationally, the attack drew condemnation from leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who called it a “barbaric terrorist act.”
The assault has also dealt a severe blow to Kashmir’s tourism industry. By April 23, markets in Pahalgam were deserted, and airlines operated extra flights from Srinagar to accommodate fleeing tourists. “How can we continue our trip in such a situation?” asked Sameer Bhardwaj, a Delhi resident, as he left the region. Candlelit vigils in Srinagar and protests demanding an end to terrorism reflected the collective anguish of locals and visitors alike.
A History of Conflict
The Pahalgam attack is the deadliest in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing, which killed 46 Indian soldiers and prompted retaliatory airstrikes on Pakistan. The region, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, remains one of the world’s most militarized zones, with an estimated 500,000 Indian troops stationed in Indian-administered Kashmir. Both nations claim the territory in full, having fought two wars and numerous skirmishes over it.
The insurgency, which began in 1989, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including civilians, militants, and security forces. While violence has decreased in recent years, targeted killings of Hindus, particularly migrant workers, have risen since the 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy. The move, championed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was intended to integrate Kashmir fully into India but has fueled resentment among some locals and escalated tensions with Pakistan.
Pakistan’s official stance is that it provides only “moral and diplomatic” support to Kashmiri separatists, but India cites confessions from former Pakistani leaders, such as Pervez Musharraf, who admitted in 2015 to training insurgents in the 1990s. The presence of groups like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which operate from Pakistani soil, remains a flashpoint in bilateral relations.
The Road Ahead
As Kashmir mourns its latest tragedy, the attack has raised fears of further escalation between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of brinkmanship. India’s swift diplomatic and economic measures against Pakistan signal a hardline response, but analysts warn that military retaliation could destabilize the region further. The targeting of non-Muslims has also heightened communal tensions, with social media amplifying divisive rhetoric.
For Kashmiris, caught between militancy and militarization, the attack is a grim reminder of their precarious existence. “Kashmiris have always faced violence, and we know what it is to lose a father or son,” said Khuehami. “We empathize with these families, but we fear being scapegoated.” The region’s tourism-driven economy, a lifeline for many, now faces an uncertain future as visitors flee and security tightens.
The international community, while condemning the attack, has called for restraint. The United States, through President Trump and Vice President Vance, pledged support for India’s fight against terrorism, but analysts stress the need for dialogue to prevent a broader conflict. As investigations continue and the manhunt intensifies, the world watches Kashmir—a land of breathtaking beauty and heartbreaking violence—with bated breath.
