Tension between India and Pakistan is high after 26 people were killed and over a dozen injured after gunmen opened fire on a group of off-duty intelligence officers and tourists in Pahalgam town yesterday in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
The region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said the attack was “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
The attack happened in a remote meadow in Pahalgam, a town which can only be accessed by walking or riding on horseback.
The area is known for its mountain scenery and popular with religious pilgrims and tourists.
Eyewitnesses say the attackers emerged without warning and opened fire on Indian tourists and off-duty intelligence officers.
Indian police have labelled the incident a “terror attack” and blamed militants opposed to Indian occupation in Kashmir. No group has officially claimed responsibility, but some reports in Indian media are blaming Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
International Attention
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi following the attack.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah visited the survivors and met with the families of the deceased. In a statement, he said those responsible “would not be spared. Bharat [India] will not bend to terror,” he wrote on X. “The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared.”
The attack occurred during the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to India. After visiting the Taj Mahal, Vance addressed the media, saying “We’re providing whatever assistance and help we can provide.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the incident, describing it as unjustifiable.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif denied that his country had any involvement. He characterised the attack as part of a domestic insurgency and accused India of routinely blaming Pakistan for internal unrest. India has rejected these claims.
Kashmir’s ongoing occupation
Commentators have noted that the Pahalgam attack occurred during a period of increased international attention, coinciding with the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to India.
Similar patterns have emerged in the past, where violence in Kashmir has taken place during major U.S. diplomatic visits.
On 20 March 2000, one day before U.S. President Bill Clinton’s official trip to India, 36 Sikh villagers were killed in Chittisinghpora, Anantnag, in an attack blamed on Pakistan-based militants. The incident became a key point of discussion between Clinton and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Two years later, on 14 May 2002, Kashmiri militants launched an assault in Kaluchak during the visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca.
The gunmen opened fire on a bus before attacking army residential quarters, killing 23 people — including 10 children — and injuring dozens more.
These incidents show how armed groups in the region have, at times, used high-profile foreign visits as moments to stage attacks — aiming to draw international attention and challenge India’s security preparedness and diplomatic posture.
Kashmir has been a site of ongoing conflict since India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947. Both countries claim the region in full but control different parts.
An armed insurgency began in the late 1980s, which India has accused Pakistan of supporting. Tens of thousands have died in the violence.
Tensions escalated in 2019 when the Indian government revoked Article 370, which had given Jammu and Kashmir special constitutional status. The region was divided into two federally administered territories, further straining India-Pakistan relations.
Attacks in Kashmir have continued despite a large military presence. Tuesday’s killings mark one of the deadliest incidents involving Indian tourists and off-duty personnel in recent years.
