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Ffiew Delhi, April 22
At least 26 people were killed and several others injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. Police sources said that at least two of the injured are in critical condition.
The attack took place in the afternoon at Baisaran valley – it’s an off-road meadow a little over 6 km from Pahalgam – which was packed with tourists. Terrorists showed up and fired indiscriminately at the tourists.
The terrorists opened fired at tourists in Baisaran, an off-the-road meadow in Pahalgam. The injured have been rushed to hospital.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, was said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Majority of the victims were tourists from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana.
A police team rushed to the spot, along with Army and paramilitary forces, to evacuate the tourists and launch a search operation to trace the militants behind the attack.
The Centre has tasked National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe te incident.
The J&K administration set up 24×7 emergency control rooms in Anantnag and Srinagar. “Special Forces of the Army and two battalions of Rashtriya Rifles have been deployed in the search operations following the incident.
As world leaders joined India in condemning the attack, US President Donald Trump dialled Modi and, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, “expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack. India and the United States stand together in the fight against terror”.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack was “much larger than anything we have seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
“This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators of this attack are animals – inhuman and worthy of contempt. No words of condemnation are enough,” he said.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha called it a cowardly attack and said those “behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished”.
In a post on X, Modi said, “I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
HM Amit Shah said he was “anguished by the terror attack on tourists” and “my thoughts are with the family members of the deceased.
He added, “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”.
