Srinagar/New Delhi/Islamabad, Apr 23 (EFE).- Eyewitnesses to an attack that killed dozens of tourists in Indian-istered Kashmir on Wednesday described scenes of chaos and terror during the worst attack against civilians in the Himalayan region in recent years.
Tuesday’s incident took place in Baisaran near Pahalgam, a popular mountain resort town in the northern territory of Jammu and Kashmir, killing 28 people and injuring at least 10.
“I, along with my other colleagues, heard some gunshots and saw tourists screaming and running in all directions,” Gulzar Ahmad, a tourist service provider, told EFE.
Survivors quoted by Indian media outlets described how the attackers emerged from a forest, approached them in a meadow, and began firing at close range, reportedly targeting men who claimed to be non-Muslims.
“We immediately understood what had happened and lay down to save ourselves. Crawling to a safer side, we continuously [shouted to] running people around to lay down, which we think saved many lives,” Ahmad added.
Firdous, who offers horseback rides to tourists, told EFE that he had taken a couple of tourists to Baisaran early Tuesday morning. “After the firing I ran for my life,” he said.
Altaf, another local community service provider who was at Baisaran when the attack occurred, said it was “terrible to see people falling to bullets.”
“It is difficult for me to forget the painful scenes,” Altaf told EFE.
Shutdown amid tightened security
Hundreds of police and military personnel were deployed in Pahalgam, as well as the main city of Srinagar and others on Wednesday, with patrols sounding sirens in the streets.
The region is also observing a complete shutdown, with all shops, commercial establishments, and educational institutions closed, while university exams scheduled for Wednesday were postponed.
Security forces have not reported any arrests so far. A police investigation is underway. However, a team from the National Investigation Agency is expected to arrive in Pahalgam to take over the investigation, an official from the Kashmir divisional commissioner’s office told EFE.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi, where he held a high-level briefing at the airport to discuss the situation.
He met with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, according to footage of the meeting.
Modi’s right-hand man, Home Minister Amit Shah, traveled to Kashmir on Tuesday night and was to visit the area of the attack on Wednesday.
The bodies of the deceased were transferred overnight to Srinagar, where Shah paid tribute to them Wednesday in a brief ceremony in a police station during which he laid a wreath in front of the coffins.
Shah later spoke with several of the survivors and relatives of the victims, who appeared visibly shaken.
The bodies are expected to begin being transferred to New Delhi in the coming hours to be handed over to the families.
Indian media outlets have reported that many tourists in the region have begun to check out of their hotels, and given that the highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of India has been closed for the past three days due to landslides, several airlines have increased flights and reduced prices.
Condemnation
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation across the country. Several political leaders, including Modi and Shah, have denounced the attack, while international leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, also issued statements condemning the violence and expressing solidarity with India.
The incident is the most serious against civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir since March 2000, when at least 36 people were killed in an insurgent attack on a village in the south of the region.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Khan said Wednesday in a statement, “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in the Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Kashmir has been a long-standing point of conflict between India and Pakistan since their separation from the British Empire in 1947. Both nations have fought wars and other minor conflicts for control of the territory.
Since 1989, the region has been the scene of an armed uprising against the government in New Delhi, a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead. India maintains that Pakistan s the insurgency, a claim denied by Islamabad. EFE
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