Terror Strikes Pahalgam: Over 26 Dead in Unprecedented Attack on Tourists

BAISARAN (Pahalgam): The idyllic green meadows of Baisaran in Pahalgam turned into a blood-soaked battleground on Tuesday as militants opened fire on unsuspecting tourists, killing at least 26 people, including foreign nationals, and injuring many more.

According to AFP, the figure—citing police sources—marks the worst civilian massacre in Kashmir in recent memory.

As the smell of gunpowder faded, the haunting silence of the hills was pierced by cries for help—and local Kashmiris rushed to carry the wounded on shoulders and ponies, while the state machinery arrived much later.

We thought it was fireworks’

“It was around 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon,” recounted Tourist Police Officer Waseem Khan, who responded within minutes of the gunfire.

“We first thought someone was bursting crackers. Then came the screaming and rush. It lasted 10 minutes. When we got there, there was blood everywhere—at least two bodies and several injured. Locals—pony handlers, shawl vendors, shopkeepers—lifted tourists on their backs and ponies to rush them to hospitals. There were no vehicles at that slope.”

‘My husband died before my eyes’

Pallavi, the wife of one of the victims was in a state of shock. “My husband died in front of my eyes, and I was helpless,” she said, recalling how her son was with them during the attack.

“Both my son and I begged the militants to shoot us too. But they refused.”
Pallavi, a manager at Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society in Karnataka, said her husband had dreamed of visiting Kashmir.

“Now I feel we should never have come,” she said. She has appealed to the Karnataka Government to help return the body to their hometown.

One of the tourists killed in Pahalgam today was a 26-year-old Navy Officer, a KNT report said.

Defense officials reported that one Indian Navy Officer, who was posted in Kochi, has been killed in the Pahalgam attack while he was on leave.

He is a native of Haryana and got married on 16 April. He has been identified as Lieutenant Vinay Narwal.

Tourism turns to tragedy

Sajad Ahmad Bhat, who owns Hotel Alpine Meadows, said the shooting has already had a chilling effect.

“Six of my twelve foreign guests left tonight. Next week’s bookings are cancelled. We were hoping for recovery this season, but this is worse than 2016,” he said.

In July 2016, the tourist season was abruptly cut short in the wake of protests and clashes over the killing of militant Burhan Wani.

Call for Kashmir shutdown on Wednesday

Kashmir Valley business and travel trade bodies have announced a Kashmir Bandh on tomorrow (Wednesday) in protest against the barbaric killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The terror attack, which has been described as one of the deadliest targeting civilians in recent years, has left the region in mourning and has sparked outrage across the country.

The shutdown call has been jointly issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC), All Travel Associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and civil society groups.

Tariq Rashid Ghani, President of CCIK, stated, “We have called for Kashmir Bandh on April 23, i.e., Wednesday, against this barbaric act of violence.” He emphasized the need for a collective response to condemn such atrocities and to stand in solidarity with the victims.

The bandh is expected to see the complete closure of businesses, transport services, and other establishments across the Valley.

The decision is supported by major stakeholders in the tourism sector, which has been deeply affected by the killings, Ghani said.

The Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) has vehemently condemned the recent killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran, famously known as "Mini-Switzerland."

In a statement, KTA President Aijaz Shahdhar described the attack as both dastardly and inhumane. “We strongly condemn the killing of innocent tourists. Kashmiris have always welcomed visitors with open hearts and warm hospitality. This tragic incident is a deliberate attempt to target and cripple our economy,” he said.

The Kashmir Trade Alliance urges all stakeholders to come together to ensure the safety and security of tourists and calls for immediate action against those responsible for this heinous act.

In Jammu, the call for a shutdown has been given by Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, has called for a strike on Wednesday as a mark of protest against the terror attack and to mourn the deaths of tourists.

‘Cowardly Attack’ Condemned

The attack has horrified Kashmiris and has been widely condemned. 

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said this attack was "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".

"I'm shocked beyond belief. This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman & worthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough. I send my sympathies to the families of the deceased," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Other political leaders including former chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Peoples Conference Sajad Lone, and others have described the incident as “unacceptable and “against Kashmiri ethos of hospitality”.

Opposition leaders in India while strongly condemning the attack have questioned the government's security measures and claims of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack on tourists. While unanimously condemning the "dastardly" attack, politicians across party lines highlighted what they view as a significant disconnect between government rhetoric and ground reality.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the government to "take accountability" rather than making "hollow claims" about the situation being normal, while the CPI(M) stated that the attack "lays bare the hollow rhetoric of the Modi-Shah duo" regarding peace and normalcy in Kashmir. 

Kashmiri netizens took to social media to express their horror and sorrow at the attack and the loss of lives.

“Unlike the propaganda pushed from outside, only Kashmiris can feel such pain as they have seen lifeless bodies of loved ones next to them like this. These dastardly incidents serve only one purpose - direct more hate and violence and harm towards Kashmir,” wrote journalist Majid Maqbool on his Facebook post.

Reminds me of the Chittisinghpora massacre which happened 25 years ago. Nothing can change in Kashmir, nothing. In the same way, people were lined up, identified and killed. The men killed and women left to mourn, wrote scholar, Komal GB Singh.

X and Instagram were abuzz with horror and questions.

Angry citizens also took out protests and candle night vigils across Kashmir.

Emergency measures, political fallout

In response, the Anantnag Police established a 24/7 tourist emergency help desk to offer information and support.

“A dedicated help desk has been established at the Police Control Room Anantnag,” police said in a statement issued at 19:27 IST on April 22

Political reactions were swift. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack as “cowardly and barbaric”, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a high-level security review with J&K LG Manoj Sinha.

TRF claims responsibility

The Resistance Front (TRF)—a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—claimed responsibility for the massacre. Officials told Kashmir Times that preliminary investigations indicate the attackers may have infiltrated from Kishtwar in Jammu and reached Baisaran via Kokernag, exposing possible new infiltration corridors and underlining a pattern of cross-region militant mobility.

As search operations continue in the dense pine forests above Pahalgam, and families mourn across states and countries, a brutal truth settles in: Kashmir's fragile peace has been shattered once again.

Attacks on Tourists Unprecedented

This is the first time that a targeted attack on tourists, singling them out to be shot dead, at such a massive scale has taken place.

The only other known case is the 1995 kidnapping of six foreign tourists and two guides in Pahalgam by Al-Faran, said to be an off-shoot of militant group Harkat-ul-Ansar. The militants demanded the release of Harkat leader Masood Azhar and other militants. One victim, Hans Christian Ostro was beheaded after the group's demands were not met, and another, John Childs, escaped. The remaining four victims are presumed dead. 

A Trail of Attacks on Civilians & Pilgrims

The Kashmir region has witnessed numerous targeted attacks against civilians and religious pilgrims since the 1990s. These attacks have primarily targeted pilgrims, labourers from other states, and minority communities in the region, often during periods of political significance or peace initiatives.

On March 21, 2000, 36 Sikhs were killed in Chattisinghpora village, Anantnag district coinciding with then US president, Bill Clinton’s visit to India.

In a major attack in August 2, 2000, at least 21 civilians including 10 pilgrims were killed in an attack on the base camp at Sri Amarnath pilgrimage base camp at Pahalgam.

A series of coordinated attacks on the same day targeted multiple other locations and civilians including 27 labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh in Mirbazar-Qazigund and Sandoo-Acchabal, 11 minority community members in Doda district, 7 members of a family of a surrendered militant in Kupwara and eight village Defence Committee members in Kayar village in Doda.

In 2001, six pilgrims among 13 people killed when a militant hurled grenades and opened fire near the Amarnath shrine. In 2002, eight pilgrims were killed and 30 injured in an attack on the Nunwan camp

On March 24, 2003, 24 Kashmiri Pandits including 11 women and 2 children were killed in Nadi Marg village, Pulwama.

It may be recalled that between 1994-1999, during peak militancy years, the Amarnath yatra remained relatively peaceful. After 2002, there was a 15-year period without major attacks on Amarnath pilgrims until 2017. In July 2017, seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when suspected terrorists attacked a bus returning from the Amarnath shrine.

Timeline of Major Militant Incidents in Jammu and Kashmir (1989–2025)

• 14 Sep 1989 – BJP leader Tika Lal Taploo assassinated in Srinagar.

• 4 Nov 1989 – Retired judge Neelkanth Ganjoo shot dead.

• 13 Feb 1990 – Doordarshan Director Lassa Kaul killed.

• 6 Apr 1990 – HMT CEO H. L. Khera and Kashmir University VC Mushir-ul-Haq assassinated.

• 1 May 1990 – Poet Sarwanand Koul Premi and his son murdered.

• 21 May 1990 – Imam Mohammad Farooq Shah assassinated.

• 1990–91 – Over 200 Kashmiri Pandits killed; mass exodus begins.

• 29 Mar 1994 – Lt Gen E.W. Fernandes and 14 army officers killed in ambush.

• 26 Jan 1995 – Failed assassination attempt on Governor K. V. Krishna Rao; 8 killed.

• 20 Jul 1995 – Bomb explosion in Jammu kills 20.

• 26 Jan 1998 – Wandhama massacre: 23 Kashmiri Pandits killed.

• 17 Apr 1998 – Prankote massacre: 29 killed.

• 21 Apr 1998 – Thub village massacre: 13 villagers killed.

• 19 Jun 1998 – Chapnari massacre: 25 killed.

• 3 Aug 1998 – Chamba massacre: 35 Hindus killed.

• 7 Sep 1999 – BJP candidate Haider Noorani assassinated.

• 3 Nov 1999 – Suicide attack at Badami Bagh cantonment: 10 killed.

• 24 Dec 1999 – Suicide bomber kills 12 J&K Special Operations Group personnel.

• 7 Jan 2000 – Attack on Srinagar Meteorological Centre: 4 killed.

• 20 Mar 2000 – Chittisinghpura massacre: 35 Sikhs killed.

• 15 May 2000 – Minister Ghulam Hasan Bhat assassinated; 5 others killed.

• Aug 2000 – Amarnath Yatra massacre: 62 pilgrims killed.

• 3 Nov 2000 – Aga Syed Mehdi killed in landmine blast; 6 others killed.

• 25 Dec 2000 – Attack on Army HQ, Srinagar: 9 killed.

• 9 Feb 2001 – Suicide bombing at J&K Police HQ: 12 killed.

• 10 Feb 2001 – Kot Charwal massacre: 15 civilians killed.

• 2 Mar 2001 – Police convoy ambushed in Rajouri: 17 killed.

• 8 Jun 2001 – Grenade blast at Charar-e-Sharief shrine: 4 killed.

• 20 Jul 2001 – Amarnath pilgrims attacked: 8 killed.

• 21 Jul 2001 – Doda massacre: 16 killed.

• 2–3 Aug 2001 – Kishtwar massacre: 15 killed.

• 7 Aug 2001 – Shootout at Jammu railway station: 13 killed.

• 29 Aug 2001 – Bus attack in Anantnag: 9 killed.

• 1 Oct 2001 – Suicide car bombing at J&K Assembly: 36 killed.

• 20 Jan 2002 – Poonch massacre: 11 killed.

• 30 Mar 2002 – First Raghunath Temple attack: 11 killed.

• 14 May 2002 – Kaluchak massacre: 31 including army families killed.

• 21 May 2002 – Abdul Ghani Lone assassinated.

• 13 Jul 2002 – Qasim Nagar massacre: 25 killed.

• 6 Aug 2002 – Amarnath Yatra attacked: 11 killed.

• 11 Sep 2002 – Law Minister Mushtaq Lone assassinated.

• 11 Nov 2002 – Highway IED blast: 8 killed.

• 22 Nov 2002 – IED blast in Srinagar: 6 killed.

• 23 Nov 2002 – IED blast in Lower Munda: 19 killed.

• 24 Nov 2002 – Second Raghunath Temple attack: 14 killed.

• 5 Dec 2002 – Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone assassinated.

• 20 Dec 2002 – Abdul Aziz Mir assassinated.

• 28 Jan 2003 – NC politician Farooq Ahmed Kuchchay killed.

• 14 Mar 2003 – Suicide attack on Muharram procession in Poonch: 4 killed.

• 16 Mar 2003 – Remote police post attacked: 11 killed.

• 23 Mar 2003 – Nadimarg massacre: 24 Kashmiri Pandits killed.

• 22 Apr 2003 – Landmine blast in Udhampur: 6 killed.

• 19 May 2003 – Rajouri beheadings: 6 killed.

• 26 May 2003 – VDC member's home ambushed: 5 killed.

• 28 Jun 2003 – Suicide attack at Sunjwan military base: 12 killed.

• 22 Jul 2003 – Akhnoor army base attacked: 8 killed.

• 13 Sep 2003 – Car ambush kills politician Yusuf Parray: 3 dead.

• 2 Jan 2004 – Suicide attack at Jammu Railway Station: 4 killed.

• 3 Mar 2004 – Suicide attack at court complex in Jammu: 7 killed.

• 9 Mar 2004 – Suicide attack on PIB office: 2 killed.

• 8 Apr 2004 – PDP rally in Uri attacked: 11 killed.

• 23 May 2004 – Highway IED blast: 30 killed.

• 26 Jun 2004 – Surankote attack: 12 killed.

• 2 Jul 2004 – MP Choudhury Lal Singh’s convoy attacked: 6 killed.

• 19 Jul 2004 – Deputy CM assassination attempt: 6 killed.

• 28 Jul 2004 – Gunfight at Dal Lake paramilitary base: 5 killed.

• 4 Aug 2004 – CRPF camp ambushed: 9 killed.

• 5 Dec 2004 – Pulwama IED blast: 10 killed.

• 7 Jan 2005 – Income Tax office suicide bombing: 3–5 killed.

• 24 Feb 2005 – Suicide bombing at divisional commissioner’s office: 6 killed.

• 12 May 2005 – Grenade attack on Srinagar school: 2 children killed.

• 13 Jun 2005 – Car bomb in Pulwama: 13 killed.

• 24 Jun 2005 – Bus attack on security forces: 9 killed.

• 19 Jul 2005 – Village in Udhampur attacked: 6 killed.

• 20 Jul 2005 – Suicide attack on Army vehicle in Srinagar: 5 killed.

• 9 Sep 2005 – Three families attacked in Udhampur: 6 killed.

• 10 Sep 2005 – Army convoy attacked on highway: 5 killed.

• 10 Oct 2005 – Rajouri massacre: 10 from four families killed.

• 18 Oct 2005 – Education Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone killed.

• 2 Nov 2005 – Suicide attack near Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s home: 10 killed.

• 14 Nov 2005 – Suicide bombing at Srinagar business hub: 4 killed.

• 15 Nov 2005 – Assassination attempt on PDP’s Ghulam Hassan Mir: 3–6 killed.

• 16 Nov 2005 – Minister Usman Majeed survives assassination attempt: 4 killed.

• 23 Jan 2006 – Gunfight with Special Operations Group: 4 killed.

• 9 Apr 2006 – Family of 3 killed in Udhampur.

• 14 Apr 2006 – Serial grenade blasts in Srinagar: 5 killed.

• 1 May 2006 – Doda massacre: 34 Hindus killed by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

• 21 May 2006 – Attack on CM Ghulam Nabi Azad’s rally: 6–7 killed.

• 25 May 2006 – Grenade attack in Srinagar: 8 killed.

• 12 Jun 2006 – Labourers attacked in Anantnag: 9 killed.

• 30 Jun 2006 – NC leader Ghulam Nabi Dar assassinated in Kulgam: 7 killed.

• 11 Jul 2006 – Grenade attack in Srinagar: 8 killed.

• 10 Nov 2006 – Pulwama grenade blast: 6 killed.

• 8 Feb 2007 – Ambush on patrol in Pulwama: 5 soldiers killed.

• 30 Mar 2007 – Labourers attacked in Rajouri: 5 killed.

• 29 Jul 2007 – Civilian bus attacked near Shalimar Garden: 6 killed.

• 17 Aug 2007 – IED blast near security forces in Awantipora: 5 killed.

• 11 Oct 2007 – IED blast in Baramulla: 7 killed.

• 13 Jun 2008 – Army ambushed by Lashkar-e-Taiba: 5 soldiers killed.

• 4 Jul 2008 – Army ambush in Kupwara: 5 killed.

• 19 Jul 2008 – IED blast on army bus in Srinagar: 10 killed.

• 24 Jul 2008 – Grenade attack in Srinagar: 5 killed.

• 27 Aug 2008 – Suicide attack in Kanachak: 11 killed.

• 21 Apr 2009 – IED blast in Poonch: 5 killed.

• 12 Sep 2009 – IED blast in Srinagar Central Jail: 3 killed.

• 30 Dec 2009 – Shootout on CRPF convoy: 4 killed.

• 16 Mar 2010 – Civilian attack in Srinagar: 6 killed.

• 24 Jun 2013 – Ambush on army in Srinagar by Hizbul Mujahideen: 8 killed.

• 26 Sep 2013 – Twin suicide attacks in Kathua: 13 killed.

• 28 Mar 2014 – Truck hijacking in Kathua by Lashkar-e-Taiba: 6 killed.

• 7 Apr 2014 – Landmine explosion in Baranda Mor: 3 killed.

• 13 Aug 2014 – Attack in Pulwama before PM Modi’s visit: 3 killed.

• 27 Nov 2014 – Suicide attack in Arnia: 10 killed.

• 5 Dec 2014 – Suicide attack on Army in Uri: 17 killed.

• 20 Mar 2015 – Suicide attack at Kathua police station: 6 killed.

• 6 Apr 2015 – Militants kill 3 in Shopian.

• 2 Jan 2016 – Pathankot Airbase attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed: 12 killed.

• 17 Aug 2016 – Ambush on military convoy in Baramulla: 3 killed.

• 18 Sep 2016 – Uri attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed: 24 soldiers killed.

• 29 Nov 2016 – Suicide attack in Nagrota military base: 7 killed.

• 23 Feb 2017 – Patrol party attacked in Shopian: 4 killed.

• 1 May 2017 – Ambush on bank van in Kulgam: 7 killed.

• 16 Jun 2017 – Military convoy ambushed in Anantnag: 6 killed.

• 10 Jul 2017 – Amarnath Yatra bus attacked: 8 pilgrims killed.

• 26 Aug 2017 – Suicide bombing on forces in Pulwama: 8 killed.

• 21 Sep 2017 – Assassination attempt on PDP leader Naeem Akhtar: 3 killed.

• 6 Jan 2018 – Sopore IED blast: 4 policemen killed.

• 10 Feb 2018 – Sunjuwan military base suicide attack: 9 killed.

• 14 June 2018 - Founding Editor of Rising Kashmir Shujaat Bukhari assassinated in Press Enclave, Srinagar.

• 29 Aug 2018 – Shopian militant attack: 4 killed.

• 21 Oct 2018 – Laroo village attack in Kulgam: 15 killed.

• 14 Feb 2019 – Pulwama suicide bombing by Jaish-e-Mohammed: 41 CRPF killed.

• 12 Jun 2019 – Anantnag school ambush by Al-Umar Mujahideen: 5 killed.

• 29 Oct 2019 – Bengali labourers attacked: 5 killed.

• 4 May 2020 – CRPF patrol attacked: 4 killed.

• 8 Jul 2020 – BJP leader Wasim Ahmad Bari and family assassinated: 3 killed.

• 29 Oct 2020 – BJP workers attacked by The Resistance Front: 3 killed.

• 12 Dec 2021 – Police vehicle ambushed in Srinagar: 3 killed.

• 11 Aug 2022 – Suicide attack foiled in Rajouri by People’s Anti-Fascist Front: 5 killed.

• 1 Jan 2023 – Civilians killed in Rajouri home attack: 4 dead.

• 20 Apr 2023 – Army vehicle ambushed in Poonch: 5 soldiers killed.

• 5 May 2023 – IED blast in Rajouri: 5 killed.

• 21 Dec 2023 – Army vehicle ambushed: 5 killed.

• 9 Jun 2024 – Reasi pilgrimage bus attacked by The Resistance Front: 9 killed.

• 9 Jul 2024 – Army convoy attacked in Kathua: 5 killed.

• 4 Nov 2024 – Grenade attack at Lal Chowk, Srinagar: 12 injured.

• 22 Apr 2025 – Pahalgam tourist attack: 28+ civilians killed.