India has announced diplomatic, military, and cultural measures against Pakistan after the brutal terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives, including 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national, in the tourist town of Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir.
On Tuesday, April 22, gunmen believed to be linked to Pakistan-based militant outfits opened fire on tourists in the Baisaran Valley, a scenic area accessible only on foot or horseback.
Survivors described the ambush, saying the attackers accused the victims of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before shooting them at close range.
“We saw people fall to the ground one after the other. The attackers didn’t say much, just fired relentlessly,” one eyewitness told local media.
A relatively unknown militant group, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group is believed to have ties to the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and has cited grievances about “outsiders settling in Kashmir” as its motivation.
On April 24, Kashmir Police released a wanted notice identifying three of the four suspected gunmen: two Pakistani nationals and one local Kashmiri man. Over 1,500 individuals have been detained for questioning across the region.
In response, the Modi government has taken several retaliatory actions. India has expelled Pakistan’s military diplomats, closed the Wagah-Attari border crossing, suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and cancelled the SAARC visa exemption scheme.
Additionally, India has revoked all existing visas for Pakistani nationals effective April 27, and medical visas will only remain valid until April 29. Indian citizens currently in Pakistan have been advised to return immediately, and all travel to Pakistan has been strongly discouraged.
Calls to ban Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s upcoming film Abir Gulaal, set to release May 9, have grown louder. Several major Indian film unions have stated they will take action against the filmmakers if the release proceeds.
Speaking from Bihar on April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and the international community, delivering a strong message in English rather than his usual Hindi. “From the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world: India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth,” he said. “Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done.”
Relations between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have deteriorated rapidly.
Why is Kashmir significant to both India and Pakistan?
Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries and remains a flashpoint after decades of insurgency and three wars.
The 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy by India already strained bilateral ties, and the current attack has pushed tensions to a new high. Attacks on tourists in the region are rare, making this the deadliest assault on civilians in years.
Nonetheless, Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack and convened a security meeting on Thursday, April 24, to assess the situation. A statement from Islamabad dismissed the allegations as “baseless and inflammatory.”
Funerals for the victims are being held across India, with scenes of mourning as families and loved ones bid farewell.
Among the victims were a honeymooning groom and a businessman on holiday. In the wake of the attack, reports have emerged of Kashmiri students facing harassment in other parts of India, prompting concern from civil rights groups and government officials.