Pahalgam 2025 Terrorist Attack
The Attack
On April 22, 2025, a group of heavily armed militants launched a brutal attack on tourists in the Baisaran Valley (a meadow about 6–7 km from Pahalgam town in Jammu and Kashmir) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). The assault began around 2:50–3:00 PM local time, when five gunmen in military-style attire emerged from the surrounding pine forests and opened fire with automatic weapons on visitors gathered in the picturesque “Mini Switzerland” meadow (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). Eyewitnesses described a horrifying sequence: the assailants interrogated victims about their names and religion before shooting them at close range (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). Some survivors reported that the attackers demanded people recite Islamic verses or show religious markers (such as checking for circumcision) to single out Hindu tourists (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). When some victims could not comply, the gunmen executed them on the spot. One witness recounted, “They asked my father to recite an Islamic verse… when he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him”. The meadow quickly turned into a scene of chaos and carnage, with gunfire echoing in the hills and panicked tourists running or hiding as the attackers went on a rampage (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). The militants reportedly even wore body cameras to film the massacre and had equipped themselves with armour-piercing ammunition. The onslaught lasted several minutes before the terrorists fled into the surrounding mountains. It was the deadliest terror attack on civilians in the region in many years (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia).
Perpetrators and Responsibility
Five terrorists are believed to have carried out the Pahalgam attack. Indian security agencies later identified three Pakistani nationals – Asif “Fauji” (alias Moosa), Suleman Shah (alias Yunus), and Abu Talha (alias Asif) – along with two local Kashmiri operatives, Adil Guri of Anantnag and Ahsan of Pulwama. Investigators say the two locals had traveled to Pakistan in 2018 for weapons and combat training, likely at Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) camps. The attack was quickly claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a militant outfit operating in Kashmir that is widely seen as a front for the Pakistan-based LeT (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). TRF issued a statement framing the massacre as a strike against alleged demographic changes in Kashmir, and Indian officials similarly pointed to Pakistani involvement given the attackers’ origins and training (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). In the immediate aftermath, Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar and conferred with Jammu & Kashmir’s Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as security agencies launched a manhunt for the perpetrators (Sketches Of 3 Terrorists Behind Pahalgam Attack Released By Agencies). By analyzing survivor accounts and CCTV/digital evidence, authorities prepared sketches of at least three suspects, and a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team was dispatched to assist the probe. As of the days following the incident, the gunmen remained at large in the forested highlands, and extensive search operations were underway in the Pir Panjal Range to hunt them down (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia).
Casualties
The attack had a devastating human toll. At least 26 people were killed on the spot, and more than 20 others suffered injuries (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). (Subsequent reports indicated the death count may have risen to 28 as some critically wounded succumbed (Taliban Condemns Pahalgam Terror Attack, Flags Big Threat To Region After India ‘Cuts Off’ Pakistan).) The victims were overwhelmingly Indian tourists, predominantly men, hailing from numerous states across India including Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). One local Kashmiri (a young pony handler who heroically tried to fight off an attacker) was also killed while assisting the tourists (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). Among the dead were two foreign nationals: a Nepali citizen named Sudip Neupane (who was visiting with his mother, herself injured) (Nepali national killed, mother injured in Pahalgam terror attack; Kathmandu condemns ‘cruel and inhuman act’ | Srinagar News – The Times of India) (Nepali national killed, mother injured in Pahalgam terror attack; Kathmandu condemns ‘cruel and inhuman act’ | Srinagar News – The Times of India), and a tourist from the United Arab Emirates (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). Notably, the casualties included an Indian Navy officer (a 26-year-old newlywed Lieutenant from Haryana on vacation) and an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia), underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the massacre. The injured, some in critical condition with gunshot wounds, were rushed to local hospitals; several were later airlifted by helicopter to Army hospitals and New Delhi for advanced treatment (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). The attack shocked the nation, as it targeted ordinary civilians – families and vacationers – in a popular tourist spot, marking one of the deadliest terror incidents in Kashmir since 2019.
Indian Government Response
Immediate security measures: In response to the attack, Indian authorities acted swiftly to secure the area and assist victims. The Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and J&K Police cordoned off the Baisaran valley and launched a massive combing operation in the surrounding forests within hours. Army para-commandos and drones were deployed to track the fleeing terrorists in the difficult terrain, and a temporary lockdown was imposed around Pahalgam to prevent the attackers’ escape (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). Helicopters were used to evacuate the injured from the meadow due to its remote location, while locals volunteered with ponies and makeshift stretchers to carry victims to safety (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). The Jammu & Kashmir administration activated emergency control rooms and set up helplines for affected families. Airlines like Air India and IndiGo added flights from Srinagar and waived fees to help tourists leave the valley quickly. That evening, authorities tightened security across Kashmir and other tourist hubs in India as a precaution (Pahalgam Terror Attack Highlights: India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty, Pak Says ‘Act Of War’). By the next day, sketches of the attackers had been released publicly and a National Investigation Agency team arrived to coordinate the investigation on the ground. According to officials, hundreds of suspects and known militant sympathizers were rounded up for questioning in south Kashmir as part of the manhunt (many were later released after screening) and checkpoints were intensified on routes leading out of the region (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia).
Official statements and policy actions: Indian leaders condemned the massacre in the strongest terms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short an official visit abroad (returning from Saudi Arabia on the same night) to chair an emergency meeting with his national security team. Modi labeled the targeting of innocent tourists a “cowardly act of brutality” and vowed that “India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist” behind the Pahalgam attack. He led a moment of silence for the victims and assured the nation that those responsible would be brought to justice. Union Home Minister Amit Shah flew to Kashmir within hours and personally visited the attack site and hospitals. Shah met with survivors and victims’ families, and laid wreaths on the bodies at Srinagar’s police control room as a mark of respect. He also convened high-level meetings with the local government (Lt. Gov. Sinha and other officials) to assess security lapses and oversee the pursuit of the terrorists (Sketches Of 3 Terrorists Behind Pahalgam Attack Released By Agencies). The J&K government announced ex-gratia compensation for the victims’ families (₹10 lakh to next of kin of those killed, and lesser amounts for the injured). Within two days, the central government called an all-party meeting in New Delhi to brief opposition leaders; afterward, opposition figures like Rahul Gandhi publicly offered “full support for any action” the government would take in responding to the attack (Sketches Of 3 Terrorists Behind Pahalgam Attack Released By Agencies) (Pahalgam Terror Attack Highlights: India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty, Pak Says ‘Act Of War’).
Diplomatic and security repercussions: Believing the plot was aided by Pakistan-based elements, India took several punitive diplomatic measures. On April 24, the Cabinet Committee on Security (headed by the PM) unveiled a five-pronged response: suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral diplomatic ties, and shutting down border transit points. India’s Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in Delhi to lodge a formal protest, and expelled several Pakistani embassy officials (declaring Islamabad’s Military, Naval and Air attachés persona non grata). Symmetrically, India withdrew its military envoys from Islamabad as well. New Delhi also announced that all Pakistani nationals in India on temporary visas (such as medical visas) should return home by a given deadline. These moves were accompanied by heightened military alertness along the Line of Control. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally took over aspects of the investigation to trace the conspiracy, including any cross-border financing or handlers. By analyzing communications, Indian intelligence identified a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commander (Saifullah “Khalid” Kasuri) as a key mastermind who orchestrated the massacre from afar (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia) (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). As of the latest updates, no terrorists had yet been apprehended; however, the government stated that exhaustive efforts – “to the ends of the earth” – would continue until all perpetrators are either caught or neutralized.
Sources: The above information is drawn from contemporary news reports and official statements, including coverage by NDTV, Times of India, Hindustan Times, and others, which reported on the attack’s unfolding and the government’s reaction (2025 Pahalgam attack – Wikipedia). These accounts document the Pahalgam 2025 terrorist attack as a shocking act of violence targeting civilians, and detail the swift, multi-faceted response by Indian authorities to address the tragedy and tighten security.
