25 tourists dead in occupied Kashmir gunmen attack

[ghazi52]

5 tourists feared dead, 8 injured in occupied Kashmir gunmen attack: police source​

AFP | Reuters
April 22, 2025

Indian police officers stop vehicles at a check point following a suspected gunmen attack, near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, on April 22. — Reuters


At least five tourists were feared dead and eight people injured after gunmen opened fire at them in Indian-held Kashmir on Tuesday, a police source told Reuters, in the worst such attack in the territory in nearly a year.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic Muslim-majority territory, that draws thousands of visitors every summer as gunmen violence has reduced in recent years.

The injured had been rushed to a local hospital, the source said on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Indian TV channels reported earlier that one person was killed and seven injured in the attack.


“I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically killed five and injured several,” said Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the region, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but fighters in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been rare in recent years, but not unknown.

The last major attack on visitors in the federal territory took place in June when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge after fighters attacked it.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown following New Delhi’s revocation of the region’s limited autonomy in 2019.

The move led to a downgrading of ties with Pakistan.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the occupied territory.

 

[ghazi52]

More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir​

Jessica Rawnsley
BBC News

PTI

Security officers race to the scene after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists at Pahalgam

At least two dozen people have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of domestic tourists visiting a popular beauty spot in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities have told the BBC.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas often described as the "Switzerland of India".

The region's chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said the attack was "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years". Reports suggest that there are a large number of wounded, with some in critical condition.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the perpetrators would "be brought to justice".
"Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger," Modi wrote in a statement on X.

Home Minister Amit Shah travelled to Srinagar, Kashmir's largest city, on Tuesday to hold an emergency security meeting.

The region's Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, said the army and police had been deployed to the scene.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. There has been a long-running insurgency in the Muslim-majority region since 1989, although violence has waned in recent years.

The attack took place in Baisaran, a mountain-top meadow three miles (5km) from Pahalgam.
Vehicles are unable to reach the area where the shooting occurred, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Vidi Kumar Birdi told BBC Hindi.

A tourist from Gujarat, who was part of a group that was fired upon, said that chaos broke out after the sudden attack, and everybody started running, crying and shouting.

Video footage shared by Indian media outlets appears to show Indian troops running towards the scene of the attack, while in other footage victims can be heard saying that the gunmen had singled out non-Muslims.

Footage on social media, which has not been verified by the BBC, appears to show bodies lying on a meadow with people crying and pleading for help.

Police said multiple tourists had been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. The area has been cordoned off and soldiers are stopping vehicles at checkpoints. A joint search operation by the Indian army and Jammu and Kashmir police is ongoing.

Several protests have been organised for Wednesday.

EPA
Security forces stand outside the government hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar, where victims are being treated

Since the 1990s, an armed separatist insurgency against Indian rule in the region has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those of civilians and security forces.

The Himalayan region was divided following India's independence from Britain, partition and the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

The two nuclear-armed states both claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars and a limited conflict over it in the decades since.

Some 500,000 Indian soldiers are permanently deployed in the territory.

While fighting has decreased since Modi revoked Kashmir's partial autonomy in 2019, there are still incidents of violence.

The last major attack on civilians occurred in June 2024 when nine people were killed and 33 injured after militants opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.

In 2019, a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir killed at least 46 soldiers and prompted Indian airstrikes on targets in Pakistan.

Pahalgam is a popular tourist destination, both domestically and internationally, and in recent years the government has attempted to encourage further tourism to the region.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures.

 

[El Sidd]

Indian policy in the disputed region are nothing short of neo-colonialism. Such policies have never worked in region where people have a very strong sense of self determination. The recent choreographed fallacy of normalization in Kashmir is more apparent than ever.

Pakistan laments such unilateral actions in the disputed territory as marginalised people turn towards violence with another generation lost in the beautiful valley.

A lasting peace in the region rests with the self determination of the Kashmiris.

 

[ghazi52]

These are the 5 actions India has taken against Pakistan​

Sweeping measures aimed at Pakistan announced following an attack in IIOJK that killed at least 26 tourists.

News Desk
April 24, 2025

India has announced sweeping measures against Pakistan after a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that killed at least 26 tourists.

In a press briefing after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri outlined five key decisions under what New Delhi has termed a "decisive response to cross-border terrorism."

1. Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty

Effective immediately, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a World Bank-brokered agreement that governs the sharing of rivers between India and Pakistan. Misri stated the suspension will remain in force until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism."

The treaty grants India control over the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — while Pakistan controls the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. Despite decades of conflict, the treaty has remained a rare example of cooperation between the two nations until now.

2. Closure of Attari-Wagah Border Crossing

India has ordered the closure of the Integrated Check Post at Attari, effectively halting all movement across the Attari-Wagah land route. Pakistani nationals who have crossed into India with valid endorsements have been instructed to return by May 1, 2025.

3. Ban on Pakistani Nationals Under SAARC Visas

India has revoked all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) privileges for Pakistani citizens. All SVES visas previously issued to Pakistani nationals are now deemed cancelled, and those currently in India under this visa scheme have been given 48 hours to leave.

4. Expulsion of Pakistani Military Advisors

New Delhi has declared all Pakistani military, naval, and air advisors posted at the Pakistani High Commission as persona non grata, ordering them to leave India within one week. In reciprocity, India will withdraw its own defence advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

5. Reduction in Diplomatic Presence

India has directed Pakistan to reduce the staff strength at its High Commission in New Delhi from the current 55 to 30. India will mirror this downsizing in its diplomatic mission in Islamabad, with the changes expected to take effect by May 1, 2025.

These measures represent a significant escalation in bilateral tensions between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has condemned the violence and expressed condolences, but dismissed any involvement in the attack.

 

[ghazi52]

PM Shehbaz convenes emergency NSC meeting after India suspends Indus Waters Treaty​

BR Web Desk
April 23, 2025


Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) for Thursday morning in response to the Indian government’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, along with other announcements following an attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The announcement was confirmed by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a late-night post on X, formerly Twitter.

The NSC – Pakistan’s highest forum for security and foreign policy matters – will convene to formulate an official response. The NSC includes military chiefs, intelligence heads, and key cabinet ministers.

India’s top career diplomat earlier Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi that the border crossing at Attari-Wagah border “will be closed with immediate effect”, adding that those with valid travel documents may return before May 1.

“The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism”, Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi, apparently blaming Pakistan for the Tuesday’s attack in which twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when gunmen opened fire at tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area.

The defence advisers in the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and asked to leave, Misri said, adding that the overall strength of the Indian high commission in Islamabad will be reduced to 30 from 55.

The main border crossing checkpost between the two countries will be closed with immediate effect and Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under special visas, Misri said.

Pakistan said on Wednesday that it was concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of the IIOJK.