In the deadliest terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack, 28 people—mostly tourists—were killed and over a dozen injured when terrorists opened fire in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon. The attack took place around 2:30 PM in the scenic location popularly known as ‘mini Switzerland,’ where tourists were enjoying pony rides, food, and picnics. Lashkar-e-Taiba’s shadow group, The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack. Intelligence agencies suspect that the terrorists, possibly infiltrating from Kishtwar through Kokernag, acted under the command of Saifullah Kasuri, a senior LeT commander.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cutting short his Saudi Arabia visit, returned to India and held an emergency meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to review the situation. A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been dispatched to Pahalgam to assist local police. The attack drew strong international condemnation, with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin both denouncing the violence. A disturbing video from the attack site showed bloodied tourists lying on the ground as women screamed for help, further highlighting the brutality of the assault.
Victims came from various parts of India and included two foreigners—from the UAE and Nepal—as well as two local residents. Among the deceased were Manjunath, a businessman from Karnataka, a Malayali tourist named N Ramachandran from Kochi, an IB official from Telangana, and a CIPET employee from Odisha. Also killed was 26-year-old Navy officer Lt. Vinay Narwal from Haryana, who was on his honeymoon after marrying just days earlier. His wife was reportedly injured, though her current condition remains unknown.
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