Killing of Tourists Rocks India’s Restive Kashmir Region

Indian security forces launched a sweeping manhunt across Kashmir on Wednesday, the day after gunmen killed at least 26 people in one of the deadliest attacks in the region since New Delhi revoked the northern region’s limited autonomy in 2019, the Guardian reported. 

On Tuesday, four gunmen reportedly opened fire near the resort town of Pahalgam, killing 24 Indian nationals, one Nepalese tourist, and a local guide. At least 17 others were wounded.  

A previously unknown group called Kashmir Resistance claimed responsibility for the attack, citing opposition to the settlement of more than 85,000 “outsiders” in the region, which it characterized as a “demographic change.”  

The group said the victims were not actual tourists but “linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies.” 

Indian authorities described the incident as a “terror attack,” but did not confirm the identities of the attackers or address the claim. 

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah both vowed a strong response, with Singh declaring that “those behind such an act will very soon hear our response.” 

Tens of thousands of troops were deployed in the aftermath, with roadblocks and checkpoints set up and helicopters dispatched to comb forested areas, the Associated Press added. 

Tuesday’s attack marked a serious escalation in the decades-long conflict, where militants have mainly targeted security forces. 

It triggered a rapid exodus of tourists from Kashmir, with airlines adding flights from the region’s summer capital of Srinagar. Kashmir’s top elected official, Omar Abdullah, called the attack “heartbreaking” and said authorities were helping tourists evacuate.  

World leaders condemned the assault, including US Vice President JD Vance, who was on a four-day visit to India when the attack occurred. 

Since 1947, Kashmir has been the center of a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, with both nations claiming full control of the region – but administering separate parts. 

In 1989, an armed insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir began with the aim of shaking off Indian control. Tens of thousands have been killed since then. 

India has long accused Pakistan of backing militant groups operating in the region – an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.  

In the wake of Tuesday’s attack, Indian media and commentators quickly blamed Pakistan, despite official condolences issued by Pakistani authorities. The government, meanwhile, moved to close the main border crossing linking the two countries, suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty, expelled Pakistani diplomats and ordered some Pakistani nationals in India to leave the country within 48 hours, the BBC reported. 

Observers described the massacre as a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist government has touted the 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status as a turning point for peace and development in the Muslim-majority region.  

The government has tried to entice non-Kashmiris to buy land and obtain employment in the territory, as well as enabled local authorities to issue domicile certificates to outsiders. The Himalayan area, long revered for its lush beauty, has also seen an increase in tourists since 2019, with a record 23 million visitors in 2024. 

But despite the government’s claims of “normalcy,” Kashmir has witnessed a sharp rise in targeted killings of Hindus and migrant workers. The status revocation also saw civil liberties curtailed, restrictions on media freedom, and the mass detention of activists and politicians in the region.