Key Takeaways
- At least 27 tourists were killed in the Pahalgam attack, including multiple foreign nationals.
- Terrorists ascertained the religious identity of the victims before shooting them down, highlighting the dangers of terrorism in Kashmir.
- The attack has marked a shift in the strategy of the terrorists, targeting non-Muslims and attacking tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The dastardly attack carried out by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam has shocked the entire nation, and what has become the talk of the town is how the terrorists ascertained the religious identity of the victims before shooting them down in point-blank range. In a shocking video, tourists can be seen calling out for help after the terrorist attack took place. Dead bodies of the victims lay scattered around. The video has gone viral on social media.
Before the tourists were shot, they were asked to show their ID cards, and to make sure further that they were non-Muslims, the terrorists pulled down the victims’ pants to ensure that the victims were not circumcised, highlighting the fact that they were not Muslims.
In his account, one of the attack survivors said, ‘I did not see the gunmen but I heard indiscriminate gunfire.’
Among those who lost their lives in the attack was a tourist from Shivamogga, Karnataka, named Manjunath Rao. He was shot dead by the terrorists in front of his wife and son. And in a haunting picture going viral on social media, a bereaved woman can be seen sitting helplessly beside her dead husband. According to reports, the woman was recently married and was out on her honeymoon to Kashmir, where the terrorists shot and killed her husband.
A video capturing the aftermath of the terrorist attack at Pahalgam
Apart from this, one Indian Navy officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, aged 26 years, who was posted in Kochi, has been killed in the attack while he was on leave. He is a native of Haryana, and had recently got married on April 16.
A local horseman who witnessed the attack, said, ‘There was panic and fright. There was non-stop firing and the tourists were screaming and running helter-skelter for shelter and many fell to the ground.’
A couple from Nagpur, Maharashtra, talking about their narrow escape, said, ‘We had just left Baisaran when we heard the gunfire. It did not stop for what felt like ages. Everyone ran and we did not look back.’
While authorities have pledged to bring the terrorists to justice and to make sure such an incident is not repeated, The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Till now, it has been reported that at least 27 tourists have been killed and the victims included multiple foreign nationals as well, whose identities are yet to be confirmed officially. Several others who were injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals and are in critical condition.
As per reports, four to six terrorists were involved in the attack, including three foreign terrorists and one local Kashmiri terrorist. High-powered assault rifles including AK-47s and American-made M4 carbines were used to carry out the attack.
This has not just proven to be a downright attack on the religious identity of non-Muslims, but is also an attack on tourism in Jammu and Kashmir as tourist spots like the Baisaran Valley where the attack took place were considered safe till now, but this attack marks a shift in the strategy of the terrorists.
