Tourists Were Enjoying Horse Rides In The Meadows When Gunmen Struck: How Pahalgam Attack Unfolded

SOURCE ; NEW18

Last Updated:April 22, 2025, 19:53 IST

Eyewitnesses said two to three gunmen in military fatigues started firing indiscriminately, triggering fear and confusion among the tourists holidaying in the Baisaran valley

Tourists were enjoying horse rides in the long lush green meadows of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam when terrorists opened fire on them, killing 27 people, including foreign nationals, and leaving several injured on Tuesday.

The incident, which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said is “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, took place at a prime tourist location in South Kashmir’s Baisaran valley that is often dubbed as ‘mini Switzerland’.

Eyewitnesses said two to three gunmen in military fatigues started firing indiscriminately, triggering fear and confusion among the tourists holidaying at the spot, which has served as a backdrop to a number of Bollywood films in the 1980s.

Police sources said the attack started around 2.30 pm as terrorists emerged from the dense pine forest surrounding the valley and started firing at a group of 40 tourists. This was followed by scenes of despair with panicked tourists frantically asking for help from locals to save their loved ones. Many tourists were spotted covered in blood waiting for assistance, while some lay motionless on the ground.

“I was with my wife when the attack happened. I spotted two gunmen, who opened fire. There was a lot of fire,” an eyewitness told News18, who was injured in the attack and was evacuated by a local resident.

Authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons. Officials said some of the injured were brought down from the meadows by local people on their ponies. Some eyewitnesses, however, claimed that as soon as the bullets started flying, the handful of locals who earn a livelihood from tourism ran for safety leaving the tourists as sitting ducks.

Security personnel, who took time to reach the site as the road is non-motorable, have now cordoned off the area and are carrying out a massive anti-terrorist operation to hunt down the assailants, officials said.

Government sources further said a high-level security meeting by Shah is set to take place, the sources said. He will land in Srinagar after 7 pm, they said.

The sources said doctors and other hospital staff have been deputed to Pahalgam in wake of the terror attack. The CRPF and BSF have intensified their operations in J&K while restricting administrative movement. Deployments have been placed at 15 sites, they added.

WHAT WAS THE MOTIVE?

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility on social media for the attack. Highly placed government sources said the motive could be to carry out a “spectacular” attack during the visit of JD Vance. They said there was prior intelligence that there may be a group of Lashkar terrorists in the Baisaran valley.

The sources further said intelligence agencies had warned about an extreme summer in Jammu and Kashmir this year. In light of this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, home secretary and top intelligence officials had all recently visited J&K.

The timing of the attack does not bode well as the tourist season has set in and, soon, J&K will also begin preparations for the 38-day Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to begin on July 3.

The location of the attack has utmost significance not only because it is scenic and attracts tourists in droves but also because it is a base for the Amarnath Yatra. Summer is the best time to visit the Kashmir valley, but a terror attack such as this can disrupt tourist footfall and local businesses.

Baisaran is a major tourist place in Pahalgam besides being a campsite for trekkers who want to move further up to Tulian Lake. The area is accessible through ponies from Pahalgam. Lakhs travel to the Amarnath cave shrine from the twin routes — the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

(With PTI inputs)

Location :

Srinagar, India, India