Pahalgam Attack

The 2025 Pahalgam attack was a terrorist attack on tourists by five armed terrorists near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed on 22 April 2025. The militants mainly targeted Hindu tourists, though a Christian tourist and a local Muslim were also killed.Bhat, Danish Manzoor (22 April 2025) pdated 23 April 2025br>"Kashmir Massacre: Trump, Putin, Iran, Israel Condemn Jihadist Attack on Hindu Tourists"
Newsweek. "Witnesses reported the assailants shouted Islamic slogans and specifically targeted people who appeared to be Hindu." The attackers, armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s, entered the tourist spot in Baisaran Valley surrounded by dense pine forests. This incident is considered the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based, UN-designated, Islamist terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),Miller, Manjari Chatterjee (25 April 2025)
The Latest Attack in Kashmir Escalates India-Pakistan Tensions
Council on Foreign Relations. initially claimed responsibility for the attack. TRF released a statement that the attack was in opposition to non-local settlement in the region resulting from the abolition of the special status of Kashmir. After a few days, TRF denied its involvement in the attack. Previously, TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir targeting religious minorities.

The militants singled out the men and asked for their religion before shooting the Hindu and Christian tourists. The attackers also asked some tourists to recite the Islamic '' kalima'', a Muslim declaration of faith, to identify non-Muslims. Of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists, and one was a local Muslim pony ride operator who tried to wrestle a gun from the attackers. The tourists included several newlywed couples, and the men were shot point-blank in front of their wives.

The attack intensified tensions between India and Pakistan as India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistani diplomats and closed borders. Pakistan rejected these claims and retaliated by suspending the Simla Agreement, restricting trade, and closing airspace. A standoff between both countries led to a military conflict on 7 May 2025 when India launched airstrikes targeting alleged terror camps in Pakistan.

Background

The Jammu and Kashmir insurgency began in the late 1980s, as part of the wider Kashmir conflict. Pakistan's role in launching the insurgency as well as in turning it into an Islamist militancy are well-documented in the scholarly literature. The rise of militancy in the region has led to an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.

In 2019, the Indian government revoked the special status previously granted to Jammu and Kashmir, and extended the Constitution of India to the state in full, enabling non-Kashmiris to purchase property and settle down in Kashmir. Also related is the issuance of domicile status to non-Kashmiris, qualifying them for jobs and college seats. Fears have been expressed that these changes would result in a change in demographics in Kashmir, with non-locals settling in the area.

After the revocation, a new militant group called The Resistance Front (TRF) sprang up in Kashmir, believed to have been sponsored by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN designated terrorist group. TRF has been designated as terrorist organisation in India. It was formed from the cadres of LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir, and has carried out attacks on Hindu minority communities.

Prior to 2025, the largest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in preceding years were the 2016 Uri attack and 2019 Pulwama attack. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for both of them and conducted retaliatory strikes.Soutik Biswas
Deadly Kashmir attack risks India military escalation against Pakistan
, BBC News, 25 April 2025.Chietigj Bajpayee
The Kashmir attack will renew hostilities between India and Pakistan
, Chatham House, 25 April 2025. In the weeks preceding the Pahalgam attack, India acquired the extradition of former Pakistan Army officer Tahawwur Rana, who was linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and convicted (in the US) for supporting the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir gave a speech describing Kashmir as "our jugular vein" and branding Hindus as being different from Muslims in every way via an appeal to the two-nation theory that lead to the partition of India.

The Indian government and media have long alleged that Pakistan supports militant groups such as TRF. Pakistan denies any support for militants including those involved in Jammu and Kashmir, officially maintaining only "diplomatic and moral support" for the Kashmiri people.

Attack

On 22 April 2025, five militants entered the Baisaran Valley meadow, which is located about from the Pahalgam town in Anantnag district. The area is surrounded by dense pine forests on all sides, and is a popular spot for tourists; it is only accessible by foot or horseback. The region was not heavily protected. The attackers carried M4 carbines and AK-47s and wore military-style uniforms.

The attack was inadvertently filmed by a tourist from Ahmedabad, who was ziplining during the attack. The video footage from the scene showed scenes of panic with injured victims pleading for help and bodies strewn across the ground. A local Muslim pony operator, Syed Adil Hussain Shah reportedly tried to protect the tourists and wrestle the gun from one of the attackers before being shot and killed.

Targeted attack on Hindu tourists

The militants asked for the names and religions of the tourists, and specifically targeted those who were Hindus. The attackers killed the Hindu men after separating them from the Muslim men. Some tourists were asked to recite the Islamic verse of '' kalima'', so that the militants could segregate them by religion. Some Hindu men were forced to remove their trousers to check for a lack of circumcision before being shot at close range. The militants told some Hindu women that they were spared so that they could narrate the horrors of their men's killing to the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The first tourist to be shot was newly married Shubham Dwivedi from Kanpur, who was visiting Kashmir with his wife. The militants approached the couple and asked, “Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?” and Dwivedi responded that “We are Hindus” and was shot point-blank in the head. Another newlywed victim was Indian Navy lieutenant, Vinay Narwal from Haryana, who went to Pahalgam six days after his wedding with his wife. In a viral video of the attack, his wife is heard saying "a man suddenly came and said he's not Muslim then shot him." The militants shot three bullets into Narwal's neck, chest and thighs "after realizing he was a Hindu”.

The daughter of a Hindu tourist from Pune recounted that militants asked her father to recite an Islamic verse, and "when he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back”. The wife of another victim from Andhra Pradesh told the state's deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan that she and her husband lay on the ground, and the terrorists asked twice, "" (), and when they did not respond, her husband was shot dead. A Bengali Hindu professor from Assam, who hid his identity by reciting the Islamic kalima escaped the killing, while a Christian man from Madhya Pradesh was shot dead after being unable to recite the kalima. His wife said the attackers took selfies with the dead bodies.

Casualties

At least 26 people were killed in the attack, including 25 tourists and one local person, while 20 others were injured. Initially a list of the victims, which was verified by local officials in Kashmir, showed that 25 of the 26 killed were Hindus, while one was a local Muslim pony operator. Subsequently, one of the killed tourists was identified as a Christian. The full list of 26 victims with their names and state of residence was published by Indian newspapers.

The victims included 24 tourists from several Indian states and one foreign tourist from Nepal, while the one local killed was from Jammu and Kashmir. Witnesses stated that most of the victims were male, and the dead and injured included those from the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The dead include three Indian government officials: recently married officers from the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, and an official from the Intelligence Bureau. One Christian victim was a resident of Madhya Pradesh.

Aftermath

In the aftermath, locals assisted in the rescue effort and offered shelter to victims. Members of the local pony-handlers association rescued 11 injured tourists on ponies and improvised stretchers. Gurudwaras in Kashmir opened their doors to shelter tourists fleeing the valley in fear, as many sought safety closer to cities and airports to return to their home states. Emergency services arrived at the scene after news of the attack reached district headquarters. Two critically injured victims were taken to the district hospital at Anantnag at around 16:30, while others were transported to nearby medical centres. The critically injured were airlifted to a military hospital in Srinagar by helicopter for further treatment. A helpline was established to assist affected tourists.

A joint cordon and search, paramilitary forces, and Jammu and Kashmir Police. A temporary lockdown was imposed in Pahalgam, and Indian Army helicopters were deployed to track down the militants, who reportedly fled to the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range.

On 24 April, an Indian soldier was killed and two other soldiers wounded during a gunfight with insurgents in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur.

Authorities conducted extensive searches in Indian-administered Kashmir, detaining more than 1,500 people for questioning. They also demolished the houses of the families of at least 10 suspected militants.

On 17 June, in a statement, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) noted that the Pahalgam terrorist attack could not have occurred without financial resources and the ability to move funds between terrorist supporters.

Responsibility and motive

The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the attack, linking it to Indian government policy that allows non-Kashmiris to live and work in Kashmir, resulting in non-local settlement in Kashmir. In a statement on the social media platform Telegram, TRF opposed the granting of domicile certificates to "outsiders", and voiced discontent at resulting alleged demographic changes in the region. It claimed, "These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then begin to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally."

TRF has a history of targeting non-Kashmiris on such grounds. In June 2020, it released a statement saying, "any Indian who comes with an intention to settle in Kashmir will be treated as an agent of RSS and not as civilian and will be dealt with appropriately." In December 2020, it shot and killed a 70-year-old goldsmith, who had lived in Kashmir close to 50 years, branding him part of the "settler" project. In February 2021, it killed a Punjabi restauranteur's son, even though Punjabis are a well-established part of Srinagar's retail business, having arrived there well before 1947. In October of the same year, seven civilians were killed in the span of a week, including two school teachers, a pharmacist and poor economic migrants. According to political analyst and journalist Luv Puri, such killings of civilians are not condoned by the populace but the atmosphere of "mass-scale hysteria" in the Valley on potential demographic changes allows TRF to get away with them.Luv Puri
Brutal interruption
The Telegraph (India), 2 November 2021.

On 26 April, TRF retracted responsibility for the attack, claiming that their initial claim of responsibility was a communications breach. TRF accused Indian intelligence operatives of having a part in the attack, and stated that they were conducting their own investigation into the perpetrators. Political-science professor and recognized expert on terrorism Max Abrahms wrote that the attack was indeed carried out by the TRF, noting his prior research revealing that terrorist groups commonly attempt false denials of responsibility for attacks that kill civilian targets, subsequently "backfire" in public opinion, and/or appear likely to trigger a robust military response.

On 7 May 2025, the foreign secretary of India Vikram Misri stated in a press conference that the objective of the attack was to inflame communal violence in India and negatively impact the economy by attacking tourism in the union territory.

Investigations and arrests

Indian investigations

India's National Investigation Agency initiated an investigation into the attack after visiting the site on 23 April. Based on eyewitness testimonies, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches of three of the militants believed to have been involved in the attack. The police stated that all of them were linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and at least two are foreigners. Police confirmed that all of them have been linked to previous militancy-related incidents in the Poonch region. Following the attack, hundreds of former overground workers and ex-militants were interrogated in Kashmir.

Indian authorities have linked the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan, with digital traces leading to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi. They concluded that forensic evidence and intelligence intercepts suggest potential support from operatives based in Pakistan. Authorities conducted extensive searches in Indian-administered Kashmir, questioning more than 2,800 people and taking more than 150 into custody. They also demolished the houses of the families of at least 10 suspected militants. In a report issued following its investigation, the NIA concluded that the attack was committed under directives issued by senior operatives of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

On 26 April, a new first information report (FIR) was registered by the central anti-terrorism agency, following an order from the counter terrorism and counter radicalisation (CTCR) division of the ministry of home affairs.

Independently, investigative journalists from ''ThePrint'' found that the demand for the high-resolution satellite imagery of Pahalgam area surged at Maxar two months before the Pahalgam attack. The period of the surge coincided with the joining of a Pakistani geospatial firm, Business Systems International (BSI), as a 'partner' with Maxar. The firm's owner Obaidullah Syed was previously convicted for illegally exporting computer equipment and software to Pakistani government agencies.Pahalgam satellite images demand increased at US firm weeks before terror attack: Report
Hindustan Times, 10 May 2025.

Soumya Pillai
Orders for Pahalgam satellite images from US firm peaked two months before attack
ThePrint, 9 May 2025.

Soumya Pillai
Controversial Pakistani firm BSI removed as partner from US satellite company's website
ThePrint, 10 May 2025.

Treatment of potential witnesses

According to former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, locals were "rounded up by security agencies and kept in custody for hours and sometimes the entire day without food" in what she saw as a form of collective punishment. Mufti stated that the locals "unanimously came out against this gruesome attack and unequivocally condemned it" and that "the blanket criminalization of locals not only alienates our people but also sows seeds of resentment and mistrust".

Identification of the terrorists and bounty

On 24 April, the Jammu and Kashmir Police announced a bounty of () for information leading to the identification, arrest, or elimination of the individuals responsible for the Pahalgam attack, promising to protect the informant's identity. As per security forces, five terrorists were suspected to have been involved in the attack. The J&K police revealed their identities and released the sketches of four of them based on the details given by the survivors of the attack. Out of these four, two are infiltrators from Pakistan, and two are local Kashmir residents who allegedly aided them. These four terrorists have been identified by the Jammu and Kashmir police as Ali Bhai alias Talha (Pakistani), Asif Fauji (Pakistani), Adil Hussain Thoker (a resident of Anantnag) and Ahsan (a resident of Pulwama).

Masterminds behind the attack

Security agencies have identified three terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack. Two of them — Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafeez Saeed and his deputy Saifullah Khalid Kasuri — are in Pakistan, while the third, Hashim Moosa, is believed to be hiding in the forests of south Kashmir. An extensive operation is underway to capture him, with concerns that he may attempt to flee to Pakistan. Hashim Moosa, a former para-commando in Pakistan's Special Service Group, joined Lashkar-e-Taiba and has been involved in several terror attacks since infiltrating India in 2023. Authorities aim to capture him alive to confirm Pakistan's involvement in the attack. He was involved in a deadly October attack in Ganderbal that killed seven and another in Baramulla where four security personnel died. In total, he has been linked to at least six terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Calls for independent investigation

Following India's allegations of Pakistani involvement in the attack, Pakistan proposed the establishment of a neutral, independent, third-party investigation, to be conducted by an impartial body, while condemning the attack as a tragedy. Simultaneously, it accused India of exacerbating regional tensions. Pakistan's call for an unbiased inquiry received backing from China and Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim. However, India categorically rejected the proposal, dismissing the notion of an independent investigation. Meanwhile, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in India which sought a judicial investigation. The Supreme Court justice Surya Kant rejected the calls, stating that the court's role was to decide disputes, not to conduct investigations.

Response

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India to chair a meeting with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on the issue. After this meeting, the Indian foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, briefed senior diplomats around the world regarding five major decisions made by the Indian government. He announced India would immediately suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan until Pakistan ceases its support for cross-border terrorism. He further announced the closure of the main border crossing between the two countries, a travel ban of all Pakistani nationals to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, and a cancellation of all previously issued visas. Pakistani military advisers at the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi were expelled, and their Indian counterparts in Islamabad were withdrawn.

Union home minister Amit Shah travelled to Srinagar to assess the situation and coordinate the security response, and later travelled to the site of the attack. On 23 April, the Indian Army gave limited clearance for the operation of its grounded HAL Dhruv fleet for counterterrorism operations.

The government later admitted a security lapse revealing that Baisaran Valley had been opened to tourists two months ahead of schedule without notifying security forces, a factor which facilitated the attack. On 24 April, the central government convened an all-party meeting to brief opposition parties in the wake of the attack. Opposition leaders criticised the oversight and Modi's absence from the briefing.

Pakistan also warned India of a comprehensive retaliation in response to the actions announced by the Indian government in the aftermath of the incident. On 24 April, Pakistan suspended visas issued to Indian nationals and closed its airspace to Indian aircraft. On the night between 24 and 25 April, Pakistani and Indian troops skirmished and exchanged small arms fire at multiple positions along the line of control.

India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, striking nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan said that the operation resulted in civilian casualties on the Pakistani side. In response, Pakistan launched drone and missiles strikes around Indian-administered Kashmir. Residents of Indian-administered Kashmir stated that civilians had been killed in shelling from the Pakistani side of the border.

Reactions

Domestic reactions

Following the attack, an increase in the number of visitors leaving Jammu and Kashmir was recorded, prompting Air India to operate additional flights to the region. Furthermore, numerous tourist destinations in the region were closed.

Kashmir

Protests were held across Muslim-majority regions of Kashmir, including Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Pahalgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, and other towns. Demonstrators expressed grief and anger, calling the attack a blow to '' Kashmiriyat'' and condemning the violence. Shops and businesses shut down in solidarity. On 25 April, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his Friday sermon at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid, said that Kashmiris "stand shoulder to shoulder with the victims." A minute of silence was observed before prayers in memory of those killed.

Rest of India

Protests and demonstrations were held in many parts of India condemning the attack. Various Indian cities, such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, among others, witnessed candlelight vigils and silent marches to honour the victims. Prominent Muslim organisations, such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, denounced the attack, stating that it contradicted Islam's promotion of peace.

The attack also prompted a surge in Islamophobic and anti- Kashmiri sentiments across the country. The Association for Protection of Civil Rights, a civil rights advocacy group, has recorded multiple incidents of Islamophobic hate speech, intimidation, and violence, since the attack. Particularly, Kashmiri women and students have faced incidents of threats, harassment, heckling, and assaults from far-right Hindutva groups. In states such as Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, Kashmiri tenants faced eviction from their rented accommodations, and shopkeepers refused to trade with them. Several Kashmiri students were forced to seek refuge in airports while attempting to return home. In Dehradun, the leader of the Hindu Raksha Dal, a far-right Hindutva organisation, issued a threat, warning that Kashmiri Muslims must leave or face unspecified consequences. He also announced plans to mobilise workers to act against them. The state government of Haryana, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), issued directives to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students. However, several BJP members and leaders have also been linked to the rise in hate speech and violence following the attack, including public calls for economic boycotts, inflammatory mosque protests, and assaults on Muslim vendors. Affiliates like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have also staged protests featuring similar rhetoric. Furthermore, calls were raised to deport illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

On 1 May 2025, Himanshi Narwal, the widow of one of the victims, called for unity and the promotion of communal harmony; she was subsequently met with widespread online harassment and trolling, which was condemned by India's National Commission for Women. Sikh volunteers have assisted Kashmiri Muslims by providing safe spaces, food, and transportation, who have faced hostility in various parts of India following the terror attack.

Numerous celebrities such as Anushka Sharma, Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Deverakonda, Allu Arjun, Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, and many others condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims. While appearing on prime time television show Aap Ki Adalat hosted by Rajat Sharma, which aired on 31 May 2025, popular pop singer Adnan Sami, who earlier held citizenship of Pakistan and later took up Indian citizenship in 2016, condemned the attack as well and labelled Pakistan Army Flag officers and intelligence Agency ISI as traitors of the humanity for brainwashing Pakistani youths into committing such acts of terrorism.

Political leaders

The attack drew immediate widespread condemnation from political leaders. Indian president Droupadi Murmu called it a "dastardly and inhuman act." Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar called the act "reprehensible" and condemned it. Modi termed the attack as "shocking and painful" and said that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah described the incident as "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years." Defence minister Rajnath Singh labelled it an "act of cowardice." The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, criticised the Indian government's policy on Kashmir in light of the attack but also extended support to the government to deal with the threat. President of the AIMIM, Asaduddin Owaisi, criticised Pakistan for its purported involvement in the terror attack at Pahalgam, accusing the country of being the successor of ISIS.

International reactions

The attack drew condemnations and statements of condolences from several other countries including Iran, Israel, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India's neighbours including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The United Nations and the European Union also issued similar statements.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned the Pahalgam attack and its Commissioner stated that “We are deeply concerned by the explicit targeting of Hindus and other non-Muslims”.

Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the allegations of his country's involvement in the attack, stating it was a homegrown insurgent attack and also said that the attacks may have been orchestrated by India or were a false flag operation, claiming that The Resistance Front could not be considered as perpetrators because they would allegedly no longer exist. In an interview with Sky News, he acknowledged that the Pakistani state has a history of funding, training, and supporting terrorist organisations, noting that Pakistan has "done the dirty work for the United States for about three decades. And West, including Britain."

In June 2025, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which observes the global money laundering and terror financing activities, issued a statement condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack, noting that such attacks cannot occur “without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters”. Expressing "grave concern" over the incident, the organization noted that such incidents show that terrorists continue to "kill, maim and inspire fear around the world."

See also

* List of terrorist incidents in India
* 2024 Reasi attack
* 2025 India–Pakistan conflict
* The Resistance Front

References

Bibliography

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