28 Killed In Pahalgam Terrorist Attack

Even as the administration counted dead bodies and injured, one report said that 27 people have been killed and several others injured in the worst terrorist attack of the past several years in Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist campaign burst into major violence in 1989-90. Among the dead are two locals and three foreigners — one reportedly from Italy, another from Israel and a Nepali, though the Israeli embassy in New Delhi said it has no information of any of its citizens being among the victims. The remaining victims are mainly domestic tourists, the police and hospital sources said.

Another report, yet to be confirmed by the authorities, puts the death toll at 28, including 26 tourists (25 men and one woman) and two local Kashmiris.

Pahalgam, about 90 km southeast of J&K capital Srinagar, is a basecamp of the annual Amarnath yatra, which is scheduled to begin on July 3 simultaneously from both traditional Pahalgam and shorter Baltal routes. The terror attack has taken place at a time when the scenic Kashmir Valley is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals from across the country and abroad.

Among the victims were Navy Lt Vinay Narwal and his wife Himanshi, Shalinder Kalpiya from Gujarat and businessman Manjunath Rao, a resident of Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

An Intelligence Bureau officer posted in Hyderabad too was killed during the attack.

Several others injured in the attack succumbed on the way to hospital.

The police sources and witnesses said that the holidaymakers –mostly from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha — were enjoying horse-riding or engaged in other recreational activities in the meadow situated at a height of 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) and dotted with dense pine forests and surrounded by snowcapped mountains when a group of terrorists targeted them with automatic firearms. After committing the terror act, the gunmen fled back into the woods, the witnesses told the police.

A purported video of the attack site emerged showing several people bleeding and lying motionless on the ground while women tourists were wailing and looking for their near and dear ones.

Some of the witnesses said that the assailants were dressed in military fatigues and that they entered the meadow from the surrounding woods and opened fire without warning.

The authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons, the officials said, adding some of the injured were brought down from the meadows by local people on their ponies.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a post on X, said that the death toll is still being ascertained. He, however, also said, “Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the police officials suspect that either Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) or Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) or one of their shadow groups could be involved. However, a section of local media late on Tuesday reported that The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of proscribed LeT, claimed responsibility.

These reports quoting unnamed officials also said that possibly the group of terrorists involved in the attack could have crossed over from Kishtwar in Jammu and reached Baisaran through Kokernag in south Kashmir.

The officials said that columns of the Army and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF, joined J&K’s police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) to launch a hunt for the attackers while the wounded were rushed to hospitals.

The Union home minister, who reached Srinagar from New Delhi late Tuesday evening to hold an emergency security review meeting with the top-ranking security and civil administration officials at Raj Bhavan and oversee the response to the terror attack, said that he had been directed by the Prime Minister to ensure swift and decisive action to address the incident.

Shah is likely to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday morning, the official sources said.

Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. M.V. Suchendra Kumar, who was in New Delhi for a military conference, is rushing to Srinagar to oversee the security forces’ operation against the terrorists involved in the attack, the defence sources here said, adding that he will be briefed by senior local commanders at the headquarters of the Army 15 Corps, also called Chinar Corps, at Srinagar’s Badami Bagh Cantonment before leaving for Pahalgam early Wednesday morning.

The bloody incident has shaken the nation, with the Prime Minister, who had reached Jeddah earlier during the day on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, strongly condemning it and vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest,” Mr Modi posted on X.

The Prime Minister added: “All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”

J&K lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep sorrow, offering condolences to the victims’ families and stating, “The targeting of innocent tourists is an unforgivable crime. We will ensure that those responsible face justice swiftly.”

“Entire nation is angry & the blood of our forces is boiling. I want to assure the nation that perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families,” Mr Sinha said.

Condemning the attack, Abdullah said that he was shocked beyond belief. He said, “This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough. I send my sympathies to the families of the deceased.”

The J&K Chief Minister further stated that he has been in constant touch with senior officials and has spoken to the minister of health Sakina Itoo, who immediately rushed to the hospital to oversee treatment and support arrangements for the injured.

“I would be flying back to Srinagar (from Jammu) immediately to personally monitor the situation and ensure all possible assistance is extended to the victims and their families.”

Earlier, Shah had spoken to Abdullah over the phone about the “tragic incident”, the official sources said.

Meanwhile, the terror attack has evoked widespread condemnation in J&K and beyond. Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of separatist Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also took to social media platforms to say, “Deeply disturbing news from Pahalgam of a cowardly attack on tourists that has resulted in tragic loss of life. Such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir, which welcomes visitors with love and warmth. Condemn it strongly..."

Citizens of J&K took out candle marches across the UT and a bandh has been called on Wednesday. The shutdown call has been given by Chambers of Commerce and Industries Kashmir, JK Hoteliers Club, civil society groups, etc.

Meanwhile, multiple emergency control rooms have been established in Pahalgam, Anantnag and Srinagar to assist tourists. In a post on X, J&K’s department of information and public relations said these include: Emergency control room – Srinagar 0194-2457543, 0194-2483651 Adil Fareed, ADC Srinagar – 7006058623 helpline “for the assistance on Pahalgam terror incident.

A 24/7 emergency help desk for tourists has also been established by district administration Anantnag. “A dedicated help desk has been established to assist tourists requiring assistance or information. Contact details: 01932222337, 7780885759, 9697982527 and 6006365245.”