In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years, 26 people — including two foreign nationals — were killed when suspected terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists at the scenic Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon.
Intelligence agencies have identified Saifullah Kasuri, also known by the alias Khalid, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as the mastermind behind the massacre.
Saifullah Khalid is said to be operating from city of Gujranwala in Pakistan, sources said.
In the past, Khalid had publicly expressed frustration over Pakistan’s strategic shift in Kashmir policy, particularly after India’s 2019 abrogation of Article 370. He even slammed the Pakistani government’s decision to scale back LeT’s operations in Kashmir, attributing it to escalating violence in regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Two other operatives based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are also believed to have played key roles in orchestrating the assault.
The attackers, believed to be members of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the proscribed LeT, reportedly launched the ambush around 2:30 pm, targeting a group of unarmed tourists.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif on Wednesday claimed that they have "nothing to do with the attack."
“We have absolutely nothing to do with it. We reject terrorism in all its forms and everywhere,” Asif told a Pakistan TV channel, as reported by the Indian Express.
Expressing "concern" at the loss of lives, Pakistan FO Spokesperson Shafqat Khan said in a statement: “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of 'Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,'" the Dawn reported.
The brutal attack has sent shockwaves across the nation, with eyewitness accounts describing scenes of chaos and horror as gunmen opened fire indiscriminately.
The killings have sparked nationwide outrage and mourning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi early Wednesday morning. Modi was briefed by the officials immediately upon his return amid the nationwide shock and outrage over the most gruesome attack targeting tourists in the Valley in a long spell of time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold a key meeting with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday evening.
According to intelligence sources, five to six militants were involved in the attack, including several who had recently infiltrated the Valley from across the Line of Control (LoC).
Security forces have since launched a massive manhunt in and around the Pahalgam region, with aerial surveillance and ground operations underway to track down the perpetrators.
Security agencies have released sketches of three terrorists involved in heinous attack.
Major intelligence, security failure, say sources
According to a source, a few days prior to the incident, a terrorist based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had made a suggestive remark hinting at the attack, but the intelligence agencies and security forces failed to act on it, which led to the grave tragedy.
The attack was a meticulously planned operation with international handlers based in PoK and Pakistan reportedly giving directions to the militants in real time. Intelligence sources said the militants who were involved in the attack were well trained in using weapons and provided with detailed reconnaissance reports of areas that have lesser deployment of security forces despite being popular tourist spots with heavy tourist influx.
Sources further stated that the attackers were equipped with helmet-mounted cameras, likely intended to record the carnage of tourists and forward the footage to their terror affiliates.
NIA joins probe
A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led by an Inspector General on Wednesday reached terror-hit Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.
The team would provide assistance to the local police probing Tuesday's dastardly terrorist attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists from different parts of the country, were killed in cold blood, the sources said.
The anti-terror agency's team visited the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, the spot of Tuesday's deadly terrorist strike, they said.
'Will not bend to terror': Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted that the country will not bend to terror and that those responsible for the killing of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir will not be spared.
After laying wreaths on the bodies of those killed in the terror attack, he said on X, "With a heavy heart, paid last respects to the deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack."
"Bharat will not bend to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared," he said.
Shah laid wreaths on the coffins of the victims of the terror attack at the Police Control Room here
Shah also met the survivors and assured that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice, officials said. The Home Minister later interacted with families of the terror attack victims.
Shah arrived in Pahalgam within hours of the attack on Tuesday night and was briefed about the situation by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh for the family of each deceased victim in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Those seriously injured will receive ₹2 lakh, while those with minor injuries will be given ₹1 lakh
'Not in my name,' say Kashmiris
Not in my name. That was the clear message that went out from Kashmir on Wednesday, with people pouring into the streets across towns and villages to express their anguish and condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 28 people, mostly tourists.
People from all walks of life denounced the attack on the tourists, saying the perpetrators were hitting at the foundation of the valley's economy.
"This should not happen -- not in the name of Kashmir and not in the name of Islam. Islamic teachings value human life to the point that taking an innocent life is akin to killing entire humanity," Haji Bashir Ahmad Dar, a resident of Srinagar city, told PTI.
Shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir
A complete shutdown is being observed in both Kashmir and Jammu regions in protest against a brutal militant attack on tourists.
This shutdown marks the first such protest in the Kashmir Valley against a terror attack in 35 years.
Shops, business establishments, and fuel stations remained closed in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley.
Public transport was sparse, although private vehicles were seen on the roads. While private schools were shut, government schools remained open.
Officials confirmed that only shops dealing in essential commodities were allowed to remain open, while the shutdown’s impact was visibly felt in nearly all district headquarters of the Valley.