There is no claim of responsibility, but police have called it a “terrorist attack” by rebels under intensifying regional military crackdowns.
The armed man fired a group of Indian-controlled Kashmiri tourists, fearing that some of them had been killed.
Police said several tourists suffered gunshot wounds in Tuesday’s “terrorist attack” while visiting Baisalang Meadow, about 5 km (3 miles) from the conflict-zone resort town Pahargam.
“The attack is much greater than what we have focused on civilians in recent years,” Prime Minister Omar Abdullah, an elected official in the region, wrote on social media.
Local media reported that at least 20 people had been killed, but Abdullah said he could not provide details, saying “the number of deaths is still confirmed.”
According to the Associated Press, no group claimed responsibility for the attacks that accused the armed groups fighting India’s control. Security forces began hunting for attackers while the injured were rushed to the hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, condemned “heinous conduct” in Pahargam and pledged that the attackers would be “taken to justice.”
I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Pahargam, Jammu and Kashmir. It expresses sadness to those who have lost their loved one. I hope that the injured person will recover the most quickly. All possible support is provided to those affected.
The people behind this heinous act are brought…
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2025
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said he would head to Srinagar, a major city in Kashmir, managed by India, where he would review the situation.
“We have the toughest outcomes and heavy on the perpetrators,” Shah wrote in a post on X social media platform.
Kashmir’s key separatist leader, Mirwiz Umar Farooq, denounced what X described as “a coronavirus attack on tourists.”
Kashmir has been under an intensified military crackdown since its semi-autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government about six years ago.
The attack followed violence earlier this month between security forces and alleged rebels, resulting in the deaths of six people, including four officers.
The attack targeting Kashmir tourists was the last attack in recent years, dating back to June, when fighters carried Hindu pilgrims to attack the bus, plunging it into a deep canyon and killing at least nine people.
Between India and Pakistan
Nuclearly armed rivals India and Pakistan each control part of Kashmir, but both claim the entire territory.
A large majority of Muslims have supported the rebel goal of uniting Pakistan with territory or creating an independent country.
India claims that the Kashmir uprising is sponsored by Pakistan. Pakistan has denied the accusation, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle.
The Indian government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and divided the state into two federally controlled territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
That same year, a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights accused India of being a human rights violation in Kashmir and called for a committee on the investigation into the allegations.
Ambulance drives following attack near Pahargam [Reuters]
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