2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack: Difference between revisions

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| perpetrators = {{flagicon image|TRF logo.png}} [[The Resistance Front]] (accused by India, denied)<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2025 |title=The Resistance Front denies involvement in Pahalgam attack as global pressure mounts |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/as-pressure-mounts-trf-denies-involvement-in-pahalgam-attack/article69495143.ece |access-date=12 May 2025 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><br>{{flagicon|India}} [[India]] (accused by Pakistan)<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 April 2025 |title=‘It’s an all-out war’ says Pakistan Defence minister, calling the Pahalgam attack ‘staged’ |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/india-staged-pahalgam-terror-attack-says-pak-defence-minister/3821500/ |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=Financial Express|language=en}}</ref>
| perpetrators = {{flagicon image|TRF logo.png}} [[The Resistance Front]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2025 |title=The Resistance Front denies involvement in Pahalgam attack as global pressure mounts |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/as-pressure-mounts-trf-denies-involvement-in-pahalgam-attack/article69495143.ece |access-date=12 May 2025 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Terrorist attacks in India (since 2001)}}
{{Terrorist attacks in India (since 2001)}}

Revision as of 11:57, 13 May 2025


2025 Pahalgam attack
Part of the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
Baisaran Valley Kashmir24102023.jpg
View of the valley where the attack occurred
Pahalgam is located in Jammu and Kashmir
Pahalgam
Pahalgam
Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir)
Pahalgam is located in India
Pahalgam
Pahalgam
Pahalgam (India)
Location of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir
LocationBaisaran Valley, Pahalgam, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir
Coordinates34°00′13″N 75°20′01″E / 34.00361°N 75.33361°E / 34.00361; 75.33361Coordinates: 34°00′13″N 75°20′01″E / 34.00361°N 75.33361°E / 34.00361; 75.33361
Date22 April 2025
TargetTourists[1]
Attack type
Mass shooting
Mass murder
WeaponsAK-47s, M4 carbines[2]
Deaths26
Injured20
VictimsSee casualties
Perpetrators The Resistance Front[3]
No. of participants
5

The 2025 Pahalgam attack was an attack on tourists by five armed terrorists near Pahalgam in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed on 22 April 2025.[2][4][5] The terrorists mainly targeted Hindu tourists, though a Christian tourist and a local Muslim were also killed in the attack.[2][6][7] The Islamists attackers, armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s, entered the tourist spot in Baisaran Valley surrounded by dense pine forests.[8] This incident is considered the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[9][10]

The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),[11][12][13] initially claimed responsibility for the attack.[14] 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.[12] However, TRF later denied involvement in the attack and blamed Indian cyber-intelligence for earlier reports that it claimed responsibility.[15] Previously, TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Indian-administered Kashmir.[16]

The terrorists singled out the men and asked for their religion before shooting the Hindu and Christian tourists.[17][18] The attackers also asked some tourists to recite the Islamic kalima, a Muslim declaration of faith, to identify non-Muslims.[5][18] 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.[19][20] The tourists included several newlywed couples, and the men were shot point-blank in front of their wives.[7][21][22]

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 on Pakistani targets.[23]

Background

Further information: Kashmir conflict; Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir; and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019

The Jammu and Kashmir insurgency began in the late 1980s, as part of the wider Kashmir conflict. Pakistan's role in launching the insurgency[24] as well as in turning it into an Islamist militancy[25] are well-documented in the scholarly literature.[26][27] The rise of militancy in the region has led to an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.[28]

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.[29] Also related is the issuance of domicile status to non-Kashmiris, qualifying them for jobs and college seats.[30] Fears have been expressed that these changes would result in a change in demographics in Kashmir, with non-locals settling in the area.[31][32][33] Some Kashmiris, along with numerous other commentators, have described these policies as "settler colonialism".[34]

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,[35][36][37] a UN designated terrorist group.[38] TRF has also been designated as terrorist organisation in India.[39] The TRF was formed from cadres of LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir,[35][36][40][41] TRF has carried out attacks on Hindu minority communities.[40][16]


  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CNN 23 Apr
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Danish Manzoor Bhat, Kashmir Massacre: Trump, Putin, Iran, Israel Condemn Jihadist Attack on Hindu Tourists, Newsweek, 22 April 2025. Updated 23 April 2025. "Witnesses reported the assailants shouted Islamic slogans and specifically targeted people who appeared to be Hindu."
  3. ↑ "The Resistance Front denies involvement in Pahalgam attack as global pressure mounts". The Hindu. 26 April 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  4. ↑ Mashal, Mujib; Raj, Suhasini (23 April 2025). "India Takes Aim at Pakistan After Slaughter of Civilians in Kashmir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. A list of the victims circulating online, which was verified by local officials in Kashmir, showed that 25 of the 26 killed were Hindus.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Pahalgam and Pakistan's two-nation delusion". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2025. recite the Kalima — a Muslim declaration of faith — to identify and then execute non-Muslims
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NYT 23 Apr
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Indian survivors of Kashmir attack say gunmen asked if they were Hindus and opened fire". AP News. 30 April 2025. Indian survivors of Kashmir attack say gunmen asked if they were Hindus and opened fire
  8. ↑ "Terrorists were wearing camouflage outfits, carried M4 carbine, AK-47s, fired 70 rounds: Initial probe". The Indian Express. 23 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Pahalgam: Rage and grief after 26 killed in Indian-administered Kashmir". BBC. 23 April 2025. Most of the victims were Hindu men
  10. ↑ Singh, Vijaita (3 May 2025). "Pahalgam terrorist attack: Terrorists mingled with crowd, herded them towards armed members who killed tourists at Baisaran". The Hindu.
  11. ↑ Manjari Chatterjee Miller, The Latest Attack in Kashmir Escalates India-Pakistan Tensions, Council on Foreign Relations, 25 April 2025.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "'Act of war': What happened in Kashmir attack that killed 26 tourists?". Al Jazeera English. 23 April 2025.
  13. ↑ Shilpa Jamkhandikar (23 April 2025). "What is The Resistance Front, the militant group linked to Pahalgam attack?". Reuters.
  14. ↑ Sharma, Yashraj (23 April 2025). "What is The Resistance Front, the group claiming the deadly Kashmir attack?". Al Jazeera. opposed the granting of residency permits to "outsiders", who critics say could help India change the demography of the disputed region
  15. ↑ "The Resistance Front denies involvement in Pahalgam attack as global pressure mounts". The Hindu. 26 April 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Basak, Saptarshi (11 October 2021). "The Resistance Front: The Invisible, LeT-Backed Outfit Terrorising Kashmir". The Quint.
  17. ↑ Singh, Vijaita (23 April 2025). "Pahalgam terror attack: Terrorists asked name and religion of male tourists, shot them, says survivor". The Hindu.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Bukhari, Fayaz (23 April 2025). "Militants in Indian Kashmir segregate men from women and children before opening fire". Reuters. When the militants reached their tent, Asavari said they asked her father, Santosh Jagdale, to come out and recite an Islamic verse.
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NDTV-Victims
  20. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BS-Pony
  21. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TOI-Shubham
  22. ↑ "Terrorists cursed Modi, asked my father to recite Islamic verse before shooting him: Daughter". The Hindu. 23 April 2025.
  23. ↑ Mashal, Mujib; Kumar, Hari; Masood, Salman (6 May 2025). "India Strikes Pakistan but Is Said to Have Lost Aircraft". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  24. ↑ Sirrs (2016), (p. 157) "Under the proposed deal, ISI would provide money, trainers and camps in return for [Jamaat-e-Islami] recruits, intelligence assets, propaganda, fundraising and other political support."; (p. 158) "Yet these differences were set aside, and in 1986 an agreement was finally reached between ISI and the JKLF.".
  25. ↑ Kiessling (2016), p. 193: "[JKLF] was replaced by the Hizbul Mujahideen (Party of the Holy Fighters), created in Pakistan in 1989. This became the militant arm of the Pakistani Jamaat-e-Islami (JI, Islamic Party), which vehemently demanded the annexation of Kashmir to Pakistan.".
  26. ↑ Fair (2014), Chapter 1: "Because Pakistan relies upon a menagerie of Islamist militant groups—for example, Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba (also known as Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Filah-i-Insaniat Foundation), and Jaish-e-Mohammad—as instruments of foreign policy toward India and Afghanistan, the United States has periodically considered declaring Pakistan to be a state sponsor of terrorism.".
  27. ↑ Snedden (2013), p. 195: "Brian Cloughley, an expert on the Pakistan Army, is unequivocal: 'Pakistan, never loath to capitalise on India's discomfort or difficulties, took the opportunity, through the army, to foster various groupings that were intent on creating mayhem on the Indian side of the Line of Control. Their efforts grew, year by year, and there was no doubt they had official backing from within Pakistan'.".
  28. ↑ "Rights Abuses Behind Kashmir Fighting – Human Rights Watch". hrw.org. 16 July 1999.
  29. ↑ "83,742 domicile certificates granted to non-locals in 2 years: J&K govt". The Hindu. 10 April 2025. According to data shared with the Rajya Sabha in 2021, as many as 185 non-locals bought land in J&K since the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370 in 2019
  30. ↑ "12.5 lakh domicile certificates issued so far in J&K: Govt.", The Hindu, 2 September 2020, [A government spokesman] said 11,398 West Pakistan refugees, 415 Valmiki community members, 10 Gorkha community members and 12,340 registered migrants have been issued the certificates so far.
  31. ↑ Beg, Mirza Saaib (30 May 2020). "J&K's New Domicile Order: Disenfranchising Kashmiris, One Step at a Time". The Wire (Opinion). All these initiatives have sparked fears of demographic change, militarised settlements, dispossession and alienation of land in Kashmir.
  32. ↑ "From Domicile to Dominion: India's Settler Colonial Agenda in Kashmir". Harvard Law Review. May 2021.
  33. ↑ Luv Puri, Brutal interruption, The Telegraph (India), 2 November 2021. ProQuest 2590738085 "After the changes brought about by the abrogation of Article 370, mass-scale hysteria about the possibility of a demographic change has swept the Valley."
  34. ↑ Sources:
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "The Resistance Front (TRF) - Jammu & Kashmir". Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium. In 2020, it is believed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) established The Resistance Front (TRF) as a proxy organization. The group was one of five organizations to appear in Jammu and Kashmir that year ...
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "The Resistance Front (TRF) Terrorist Group, Jammu & Kashmir". South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "What is The Resistance Front, responsible for killing of 3 security officers in J&K?". Firstpost. 14 September 2024.
  38. ↑ "Lashkar-e-Taiba". Stanford University. 30 January 2016.
  39. ↑ Joy, Shemin (6 January 2023). "Centre bans LeT's proxy outfit 'The Resistance Front'". Deccan Herald.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Positioning The Resistance Front (TRF) in Kashmir's militancy landscape". Observer Research Foundation. 15 December 2021.
  41. ↑ Mir, Shakir (26 June 2021). "Why Militants Are Turning to Srinagar – Again". The Wire.
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