#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA
By AFP
April 24, 2025
Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the gunment who killed 26 people in Kashmir - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA
Arunabh Saikia with Emma Clark in Islamabad
India and Pakistan exchanged an escalating series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures on Thursday after New Delhi blamed its arch-rival for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism”.
“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” Modi said in his first speech since the attack in the Himalayan region. “We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth”.
Indian police in the region have identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.
The attack at Pahalgam in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians, rather than Indian security forces.
New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a rare meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) with top military officials, including powerful Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, in the capital Islamabad in response to India’s accusations and measures.
“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” a statement released by Sharif’s office said after the NSC meeting.
“In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic,” it said.
– ‘Leave immediately’ –
The slew of tit-for-tat measures announced by the Pakistan government include expelling Indian diplomats and cancelling visas for Indian nationals with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.
Islamabad said Indian military advisers were “persona non grata” and were “directed to leave Pakistan immediately”.
The main Wagah border crossing in Punjab will close on both sides.
Pakistan also warned that it would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an “act of war”.
Indian police say the three gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation.
Police have offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.
While the measures taken so far are largely symbolic, some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo — with the potential risk of military action between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan.
At the Attari-Wagah frontier, Pakistani citizens had already started to leave.
“We just want to go home,” said an exhausted-looking Mehnaz Begum, a Pakistani businessman from Karachi, as he left India.
– ‘Break the backbone’ –
Modi led two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.
“I say this unequivocally: whoever has carried out this attack, and the ones who devised it, will be made to pay beyond their imagination”, Modi said, speaking in Hindi during a visit in Bihar state.
“Whatever little land these terrorists have, it’s time to reduce it to dust. The willpower of 1.4 billion Indians will break the backbone of these terrorists.”
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the high-altitude territory in full but governing separate portions of it.
Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained in the operation.
A soldier was killed on Thursday in clashes with gunmen at Basantgarh in Kashmir, the Indian army said.
– ‘Heartbroken and shocked’ –
Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar appeared calm on Thursday, with residents expressing shock at the attack, which has hit the region’s key tourist industry hard, and fear of what is to come.
“Everyone I have spoken to is heartbroken and shocked,” said Siddhi Wahid, a Kashmiri historian and political commentator.
Tuesday’s assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.
Survivors told Indian media the gunmen targeted men and spared those who could give the Islamic declaration of faith.
In Pakistan, activists and members of religious parties staged an anti-India protest on Thursday.
The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.
“It is a deliberate and targeted campaign of hate and vilification against students from a particular region and identity,” Jammu and Kashmir Students Association convenor Nasir Khuehami said.
pzb-sai-pjm-ecl/pbt
Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the gunment who killed 26 people in Kashmir - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA
Arunabh Saikia with Emma Clark in Islamabad
India and Pakistan exchanged an escalating series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures on Thursday after New Delhi blamed its arch-rival for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism”.
“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” Modi said in his first speech since the attack in the Himalayan region. “We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth”.
Indian police in the region have identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.
The attack at Pahalgam in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians, rather than Indian security forces.
New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a rare meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) with top military officials, including powerful Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, in the capital Islamabad in response to India’s accusations and measures.
“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” a statement released by Sharif’s office said after the NSC meeting.
“In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic,” it said.
– ‘Leave immediately’ –
The slew of tit-for-tat measures announced by the Pakistan government include expelling Indian diplomats and cancelling visas for Indian nationals with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.
Islamabad said Indian military advisers were “persona non grata” and were “directed to leave Pakistan immediately”.
The main Wagah border crossing in Punjab will close on both sides.
Pakistan also warned that it would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an “act of war”.
Indian police say the three gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation.
Police have offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.
While the measures taken so far are largely symbolic, some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo — with the potential risk of military action between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan.
At the Attari-Wagah frontier, Pakistani citizens had already started to leave.
“We just want to go home,” said an exhausted-looking Mehnaz Begum, a Pakistani businessman from Karachi, as he left India.
– ‘Break the backbone’ –
Modi led two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.
“I say this unequivocally: whoever has carried out this attack, and the ones who devised it, will be made to pay beyond their imagination”, Modi said, speaking in Hindi during a visit in Bihar state.
“Whatever little land these terrorists have, it’s time to reduce it to dust. The willpower of 1.4 billion Indians will break the backbone of these terrorists.”
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the high-altitude territory in full but governing separate portions of it.
Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained in the operation.
A soldier was killed on Thursday in clashes with gunmen at Basantgarh in Kashmir, the Indian army said.
– ‘Heartbroken and shocked’ –
Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar appeared calm on Thursday, with residents expressing shock at the attack, which has hit the region’s key tourist industry hard, and fear of what is to come.
“Everyone I have spoken to is heartbroken and shocked,” said Siddhi Wahid, a Kashmiri historian and political commentator.
Tuesday’s assault occurred as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.
Survivors told Indian media the gunmen targeted men and spared those who could give the Islamic declaration of faith.
In Pakistan, activists and members of religious parties staged an anti-India protest on Thursday.
The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.
“It is a deliberate and targeted campaign of hate and vilification against students from a particular region and identity,” Jammu and Kashmir Students Association convenor Nasir Khuehami said.
pzb-sai-pjm-ecl/pbt
Furious India eyes response to Pakistan after Kashmir attack
By AFP
April 24, 2025
India has so far responded with mostly symbolic diplomatic gestures after a deadly attack in Kashmir it blames on Pakistan, but experts say there could still be a military response - Copyright AFP
By AFP
April 24, 2025
India has so far responded with mostly symbolic diplomatic gestures after a deadly attack in Kashmir it blames on Pakistan, but experts say there could still be a military response - Copyright AFP
Arun SANKAR
India has hit Pakistan with a raft of mostly symbolic diplomatic measures after a deadly attack it blames on its arch-rival, but analysts warn a military response may yet come.
New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night, just over 24 hours after gunmen killed 26 men in Indian-administered Kashmir.
And then on Thursday, New Delhi said it had suspended visas services “with immediate effect” and ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country, with the exception of remaining diplomats.
Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that a response may come within days while others say weeks.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” — claims Pakistan denies — and police in Kashmir identified two Pakistani nationals among the three alleged gunmen.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday to punish all those responsible “to the ends of the Earth”.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have sunk to their lowest level in years and some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo.
“This attack is going to take… relations a long way back to the dark days,” said International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi.
“Given the Narendra Modi government’s security approach, they might resort to kinetic (military) measures in the next couple of weeks, because they believe in projecting a strong security state.”
Pakistan held a rare national security meeting on Thursday after New Delhi’s punitive diplomatic measures.
– ‘Escalation’ –
The killings have shocked India because they were a dramatic shift targeting civilians and the area’s vital tourism industry, rather than more common smaller-scale attacks against Indian security forces.
Hindu pilgrims have been targeted in the past, but direct attacks on the tourist trade that underpins much of the local economy are much rarer.
“A major attack in a tourist area does constitute a break from the past,” said Ajai Sahni, a counter-terrorism expert at the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management.
Sahni suggested there had been “an unwritten contract” not to attack the general tourism trade “because virtually everyone” in Kashmir is directly or indirectly dependent on tourism.
For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown in 2019.
“One of the reasons this attack might have happened is because the government started linking the numbers of tourists… to this narrative of normalcy,” Donthi said.
“The militants finally changed their attack. Usually, they don’t attack tourists and civilians… And this is going to mark an escalation in the conflict.”
The 2019 crackdown followed Modi’s decision to cancel Kashmir’s partial autonomy and impose direct control from New Delhi.
US-based analyst Michael Kugelman said he believed the shift meant India would therefore also likely respond with military force.
“I would argue that the combination of the scale of this attack as well as the targeting — the fact that civilians were hit — that suggests to me that there is a strong likelihood of some type of Indian military retaliation,” he said.
“I don’t necessarily think that such a response would come quickly. I suspect that New Delhi will want to take some time, some days to review a range of possible retaliations.”
– ‘Covert options available’ –
India has taken its time to respond to past attacks.
The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.
Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later, a raid that came against the backdrop of campaigning for India’s general elections.
Action taken by India so far is limited.
The now-suspended Indus Water Treaty shares critical water between the two countries — but is more a paper agreement and India has no major means of restricting flow downstream to Pakistan.
The closure of the border crossing at the Attari-Wagah frontier is also significant, although there are rarely large numbers who cross.
The border crossing hosts a hugely popular evening ritual, where crowds gather to cheer on soldiers as they goose-step in a chest-puffing theatrical show that has largely endured through innumerable diplomatic flare-ups.
Sahni said any potential military response was “ill-advised”.
“There have been military responses in the past,” he said.
“They have been drummed up to have been these great successes. They had not achieved any significant outcomes — and there is a wide range of covert options available.”
India has hit Pakistan with a raft of mostly symbolic diplomatic measures after a deadly attack it blames on its arch-rival, but analysts warn a military response may yet come.
New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night, just over 24 hours after gunmen killed 26 men in Indian-administered Kashmir.
And then on Thursday, New Delhi said it had suspended visas services “with immediate effect” and ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country, with the exception of remaining diplomats.
Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that a response may come within days while others say weeks.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” — claims Pakistan denies — and police in Kashmir identified two Pakistani nationals among the three alleged gunmen.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday to punish all those responsible “to the ends of the Earth”.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have sunk to their lowest level in years and some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo.
“This attack is going to take… relations a long way back to the dark days,” said International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi.
“Given the Narendra Modi government’s security approach, they might resort to kinetic (military) measures in the next couple of weeks, because they believe in projecting a strong security state.”
Pakistan held a rare national security meeting on Thursday after New Delhi’s punitive diplomatic measures.
– ‘Escalation’ –
The killings have shocked India because they were a dramatic shift targeting civilians and the area’s vital tourism industry, rather than more common smaller-scale attacks against Indian security forces.
Hindu pilgrims have been targeted in the past, but direct attacks on the tourist trade that underpins much of the local economy are much rarer.
“A major attack in a tourist area does constitute a break from the past,” said Ajai Sahni, a counter-terrorism expert at the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management.
Sahni suggested there had been “an unwritten contract” not to attack the general tourism trade “because virtually everyone” in Kashmir is directly or indirectly dependent on tourism.
For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown in 2019.
“One of the reasons this attack might have happened is because the government started linking the numbers of tourists… to this narrative of normalcy,” Donthi said.
“The militants finally changed their attack. Usually, they don’t attack tourists and civilians… And this is going to mark an escalation in the conflict.”
The 2019 crackdown followed Modi’s decision to cancel Kashmir’s partial autonomy and impose direct control from New Delhi.
US-based analyst Michael Kugelman said he believed the shift meant India would therefore also likely respond with military force.
“I would argue that the combination of the scale of this attack as well as the targeting — the fact that civilians were hit — that suggests to me that there is a strong likelihood of some type of Indian military retaliation,” he said.
“I don’t necessarily think that such a response would come quickly. I suspect that New Delhi will want to take some time, some days to review a range of possible retaliations.”
– ‘Covert options available’ –
India has taken its time to respond to past attacks.
The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.
Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later, a raid that came against the backdrop of campaigning for India’s general elections.
Action taken by India so far is limited.
The now-suspended Indus Water Treaty shares critical water between the two countries — but is more a paper agreement and India has no major means of restricting flow downstream to Pakistan.
The closure of the border crossing at the Attari-Wagah frontier is also significant, although there are rarely large numbers who cross.
The border crossing hosts a hugely popular evening ritual, where crowds gather to cheer on soldiers as they goose-step in a chest-puffing theatrical show that has largely endured through innumerable diplomatic flare-ups.
Sahni said any potential military response was “ill-advised”.
“There have been military responses in the past,” he said.
“They have been drummed up to have been these great successes. They had not achieved any significant outcomes — and there is a wide range of covert options available.”
Tourists flee India-administered Kashmir after deadly attack
By AFP
April 23, 2025
Indian troops on Wednesday guarded the site of the attack where gunmen in Kashmir killed 26 people - Copyright AFP TAUSEEF MUSTAFA
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Indian tourist brochures dub the Himalayan region of Kashmir “Little Switzerland”, and its mountain meadows are usually packed with visitors escaping the sweltering summer heat in the lowland plains of India.
On Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed 26 men in an attack on the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported an “exodus of our guests”.
For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown.
Rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, but violence had dropped since New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory.
A day after the attack, the region’s deadliest assault on civilians since 2000, tourists scrambled to leave, cramming into buses and taxis, while hoteliers reported a surge of cancellations.
At Pahalgam, the site of the attack, the usually tranquil meadows surrounded by pine forests and snowcapped mountains, reverberated with the thumping sounds of military helicopters taking part in a vast manhunt for the attackers.
Around 24 hours after the attack, smears of blood were still visible at the site of attack, now patrolled by soldiers dressed in bulletproof jackets.
Soldiers guarded the entrance, as forensic investigators collected evidence.
– ‘Heartbreaking’ –
Until Tuesday afternoon, Hotel Mount View in Pahalgam was sold out for months, manager Abdul Salam told AFP.
But since news of the killings broke, he has been inundated with people scrapping their travel plans.
“This tragedy will paralyse business in Kashmir,” he said. “We are trying hard to reassure our customers who may still want to come.”
Indian authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region known for its lush valleys as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat elsewhere in India during the summer.
A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave,” Abdullah said in a statement.
India’s Director General of Civil Aviation Faiz Ahmed Kidwai issued a letter which called on airlines to “take swift action to increase the number of flights…facilitating the evacuation of tourists”.
Air India said Wednesday it had laid on extra flights “in view of the prevailing situation”.
Tourist Paras Sawla, from India’s financial hub Mumbai, said many visitors were “fearful” after the attack.
He was seeking to get the first flight home that he could.
But the saddest part, he said, was that ordinary Kashmiri people, famous for their hospitality, were doing all they could to help.
“We are not scared of the public here”, Sawla said. “They are very supportive, helping out with whatever we need.”
By AFP
April 23, 2025
Indian troops on Wednesday guarded the site of the attack where gunmen in Kashmir killed 26 people - Copyright AFP TAUSEEF MUSTAFA
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Indian tourist brochures dub the Himalayan region of Kashmir “Little Switzerland”, and its mountain meadows are usually packed with visitors escaping the sweltering summer heat in the lowland plains of India.
On Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed 26 men in an attack on the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported an “exodus of our guests”.
For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown.
Rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, but violence had dropped since New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory.
A day after the attack, the region’s deadliest assault on civilians since 2000, tourists scrambled to leave, cramming into buses and taxis, while hoteliers reported a surge of cancellations.
At Pahalgam, the site of the attack, the usually tranquil meadows surrounded by pine forests and snowcapped mountains, reverberated with the thumping sounds of military helicopters taking part in a vast manhunt for the attackers.
Around 24 hours after the attack, smears of blood were still visible at the site of attack, now patrolled by soldiers dressed in bulletproof jackets.
Soldiers guarded the entrance, as forensic investigators collected evidence.
– ‘Heartbreaking’ –
Until Tuesday afternoon, Hotel Mount View in Pahalgam was sold out for months, manager Abdul Salam told AFP.
But since news of the killings broke, he has been inundated with people scrapping their travel plans.
“This tragedy will paralyse business in Kashmir,” he said. “We are trying hard to reassure our customers who may still want to come.”
Indian authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region known for its lush valleys as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat elsewhere in India during the summer.
A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave,” Abdullah said in a statement.
India’s Director General of Civil Aviation Faiz Ahmed Kidwai issued a letter which called on airlines to “take swift action to increase the number of flights…facilitating the evacuation of tourists”.
Air India said Wednesday it had laid on extra flights “in view of the prevailing situation”.
Tourist Paras Sawla, from India’s financial hub Mumbai, said many visitors were “fearful” after the attack.
He was seeking to get the first flight home that he could.
But the saddest part, he said, was that ordinary Kashmiri people, famous for their hospitality, were doing all they could to help.
“We are not scared of the public here”, Sawla said. “They are very supportive, helping out with whatever we need.”
‘Like a storm’: Witnesses describe deadly Kashmir attack
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Paramedics assist an injured tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Men were methodically targeted on Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, an eyewitness told AFP, in the worst attack on civilians in years.
At least 24 people were killed in the attack that happened in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar, a senior police official told AFP.
“I cannot say how many, but the militants came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” an eyewitness, who provides ponies for tourists, told AFP.
The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity as authorities barred them from speaking, said the gunmen “very clearly spared women and kept shooting at men”.
“Sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets” they said. “It was like a storm.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act”, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
Pallavi, from India’s southern Karnataka state, said the attack “felt like a bad dream” as her husband was killed in front of her and their son.
They were attacked by “three to four people,” India Today quoted her as saying.
“I told them — kill me too…One of them said, ‘I won’t kill you. Go tell this to Modi’.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.
One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.
The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Paramedics assist an injured tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar - Copyright AFP Tauseef MUSTAFA
Parvaiz BUKHARI
Men were methodically targeted on Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, an eyewitness told AFP, in the worst attack on civilians in years.
At least 24 people were killed in the attack that happened in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar, a senior police official told AFP.
“I cannot say how many, but the militants came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” an eyewitness, who provides ponies for tourists, told AFP.
The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity as authorities barred them from speaking, said the gunmen “very clearly spared women and kept shooting at men”.
“Sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets” they said. “It was like a storm.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act”, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
Pallavi, from India’s southern Karnataka state, said the attack “felt like a bad dream” as her husband was killed in front of her and their son.
They were attacked by “three to four people,” India Today quoted her as saying.
“I told them — kill me too…One of them said, ‘I won’t kill you. Go tell this to Modi’.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.
One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.
The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
At least 24 killed in Kashmir attack on tourists: Indian police source
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Paramedics and police personnel carry a wounded tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, after the attack in Kashmir - Copyright AFP
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Paramedics and police personnel carry a wounded tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, after the attack in Kashmir - Copyright AFP
Tauseef MUSTAFA
At least 24 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists on Tuesday, a senior police officer told AFP, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
A tour guide told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback.
“I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed, who gave only one name.
The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.
The senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 24 people had been killed.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan — which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.
– ‘Abomination’ –
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll “still being ascertained”.
“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”
India’s interior minister Amit Shah said he was flying to the site of attack.
“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.
One senior politician, Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of the Himalayan region, said shortly after the shooting that at least five people had been killed.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically killed five and injured several,” Mufti said, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party.
– Popular tourist destination –
Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including at least two with gunshot wounds, one with a bullet injury to the neck.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, called the killings “heartbreaking”.
“The whole country is united against terrorism,” he said in a statement, urging the federal government to “take accountability”.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement following the attack.
In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.
In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.
A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.
At least 24 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists on Tuesday, a senior police officer told AFP, with authorities calling it the worst attack on civilians in years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
A tour guide told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback.
“I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed, who gave only one name.
The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, which lies about 90 kilometres (55 miles) by road from the key city of Srinagar.
The senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a massacre in which at least 24 people had been killed.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan — which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
The killings comes a day after Modi met with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India.
– ‘Abomination’ –
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll “still being ascertained”.
“This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he said in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”
India’s interior minister Amit Shah said he was flying to the site of attack.
“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah said in a statement.
One senior politician, Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of the Himalayan region, said shortly after the shooting that at least five people had been killed.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically killed five and injured several,” Mufti said, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party.
– Popular tourist destination –
Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including at least two with gunshot wounds, one with a bullet injury to the neck.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, called the killings “heartbreaking”.
“The whole country is united against terrorism,” he said in a statement, urging the federal government to “take accountability”.
India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.
“Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement following the attack.
In recent years, the authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat during the summer elsewhere in India.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures, the majority domestic visitors.
In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.
A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.
Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.
The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.
The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 people, all Indian civilians, were killed.
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