2. Image source, Jammu and Kashmir Police
3. Police in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Anantnag district have issued a notice naming three of the four suspected gunmen behind the Pahalgam attack.
4. Two of the three men are Pakistani nationals, the notice says, while the third is a local man from Anantnag. There is no information yet about the fourth suspect.
5. Police say all the three are members of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). None of the men have commented on the allegations yet. Pakistan has denied any role in the attack.
6. Police have offered a 2m-rupee ($23,400; £17,623) reward for information on each of these suspects along with assurances that the identity of the informants will be kept secret.
9. Addressing a rally in Bihar state, the Indian prime minster said India will pursue the Pahalgam attackers “to the ends of the Earth”.
10. Media caption,
11. ‘Terrorism will not go unpunished’: Modi
14. As we had reported earlier, Modi had cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and returned to India after the attacks. In a post on X on Tuesday after the killings, he had written:
15. “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… They will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable and it will get even stronger.”
16. But this is the first time he has spoken publicly on the attacks since then.
19. “Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world [that] India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers.
20. “We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,” he said, adding that the entire country is “firm in this resolve”.
21. “Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank the people of various countries and their leaders who have stood with us in these times,” he added.
24. We are now hearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first public comments on the attacks.”Our enemies have dared to attack the country’s soul,” he said at an event in the state of Bihar.
25. “I want to say this clearly: the terrorists behind the killings, along with their backers, will get a punishment bigger than they can imagine,” he said.
28. We are now hearing reports of Kashmiri students in parts of India facing harassment in the aftermath of Tuesday’s killings.
29. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his government was in touch with officials from some of the states where students were allegedly threatened or assaulted – but did not give further details.
30. A spokesperson for Abdullah’s National Conference party said several videos showing students being harassed in colleges and other places were being circulated online.
31. Abdullah’s key opponent and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said she had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah, urging him “to ensure the safety and protection wherever such incidents are being reported”.
32. Nasir Khuehami, head of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, shared a video of a right-wing Hindu group threatening to physically assault Kashmiri Muslim students in the northern state of Uttarakhand to ensure they leave.
33. “The situation is turning grim and deeply concerning. We have received frantic distress calls from Kashmiri students from Arni University, Kathghar (Indora), in Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, who are being harassed, abused and physically attacked by right-wing and fringe elements,” Khuehami wrote on X.
34. The BBC has not been able to independently verify any of these clips.
37. Image source, Indian National Congress
38. Image caption,
39. Congress leaders observed a moment of silence during the meeting
40. India’s main opposition Congress party held an emergency meeting of its working committee in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the Pahalgam attack.
41. Party leader Mallikarjun Kharge said he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday night and that he had been assured of “drastic action” against the attackers.
42. “This is no time for partisan politics,” Kharge said after the Congress meeting. “This is a moment for collective resolve to ensure justice for those who lost lives.”
43. “At this moment we are all one with the government in fighting the terrorists,” he added.
44. Kharge said the Congress party had urged the government to use all its resources to hunt down the culprits of the attack.
45. Congress leaders observed a moment of silence during the meeting to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
48. Himanshi Narwal – widowed while on her honeymoon, after just six days of marriage – has become one of the faces of the tragedy.
49. Himanshi had married Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer, on 16 April. He was shot dead on 22 April in Pahalgam. After the attack, a photo of Himanshi sitting near her husband’s body, was widely shared on social media.
50. On Wednesday, a moving video showed Himanshi hugging and crying over her husband’s coffin.
51. “It is because of him that the world is still surviving. And we should all be proud of him in every way,” she said.
52. Media caption,
53. Wife of navy officer bids an emotional farewell to husband killed in Pahalgam
56. Image source, ANI
57. Image caption,
58. Shaitan Singh says he was unable to cross the border to attend his wedding
59. Shaitan Singh, an Indian who was set to travel to Pakistan for his wedding on Thursday is now unable to do so, he told ANI news agency.
60. “The wedding ceremony can’t happen – we are not being allowed to go (to Pakistan) as the border is closed. Let us see what will happen now,” he said.
61. On Wednesday, Delhi announced a raft of diplomatic measures against Islamabad in light of the killings in Indian-administered Kashmir – one of them was shutting the Attari-Wagah border between the two countries immediately.
62. People who have crossed into Pakistan with valid documents can return via the border route until 1 May.
63. The border is an important land-transit route between the two countries for both goods and people and its closure is expected to impact businesses and normal life.
66. Soutik Biswas
67. India Correspondent
68. As we just reported, US Vice-President JD Vance has left India after a four-day visit. The attack in Pahalgam happened while he was in the country.
69. This is not the first time militancy in Indian-administered Kashmir has overlapped with key US visits.
70. On 20 March, 2000 – just a day before then US president Bill Clinton arrived in India – 36 Sikh villagers were massacred in Chittisinghpora in Anantnag, allegedly by Pakistan-based militants.
71. The attack cast a dark shadow over Clinton’s visit, prompting then prime minister AB Vajpayee to raise Pakistan’s role directly with him.
72. Two years later, on 14 May 2002, during the then US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca’s visit, militants struck again – this time in Kaluchak.
73. Armed men opened fire on a civilian bus and then attacked an army family quarters, killing 23 people, including 10 children, and injuring 34 others.
74. These attacks, coinciding with high-level US engagements, reflect how militant groups in the region have used moments of international spotlight to send signals – testing both India’s security response and the resilience of its diplomatic partnerships.
77. Image source, PTI
78. Image caption,
79. Pakistan citizen Mansoor on his way to the border to return to Pakistan
80. Pakistani nationals in India have started arriving at the Attari-Wagah border between the countries after Delhi cancelled a visa exemption scheme that had allowed them to stay here.
81. Those who are currently in India have been given 48 hours to leave the country, the Indian government announced yesterday.
82. Meanwhile, Indian citizens who are in Pakistan with valid endorsements have been told to return through the route before 1 May.
83. Mansoor, a Pakistani national, who came to Delhi to visit his relatives said the move had left him upset.
84. “Whatever happened [in Pahalgam] should not have happened,” he told PTI news agency. “However, the government should not have done this [suspended the visa scheme].”
85. Shaitan Singh, an Indian citizen from the western state of Rajasthan, was scheduled to cross the Attari border to enter Pakistan for his wedding today – but he is now unsure of what he can do.
86. “The border is closed… Let us see what will happen now,” he said.
89. Image source, Getty Images
90. India has announced the suspension of a landmark water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. Here’s what that means:
91. What is the treaty?
92. Signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with World Bank mediation, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governs the sharing of the Indus River system.
93. It allocates waters from the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India, and the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan.
94. It also allows India limited use of the western rivers for non-consumption purposes like hydropower.
95. How does it work?
96. The treaty has been seen as a rare example of cooperation, even during India-Pakistan conflicts.
97. A Permanent Indus Commission – with members from both sides – handles the day-to-day work: sharing data, monitoring water use, and sorting out issues.
98. If things get serious, disputes can be taken to neutral experts or international arbitration, with the World Bank helping to manage the process.
99. What if India breaks it?
100. Unilaterally withdrawing from or violating the the treaty would be a serious breach of international law, experts say.
101. It could provoke a diplomatic fallout, international criticism and possibly retaliatory measures by Pakistan. Millions in Pakistan rely on the Indus system for agriculture and daily needs.
102. India began reviewing the treaty after the militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in September 2016 in which 19 soldiers were killed.
103. On Tuesday, it suspended the treaty after the Pahalgam attacks in which 26 civilians were killed.
106. Image source, ANI
107. Image caption,
108. US Vice-President JD Vance (right) and his wife, Usha, boarding the aircraft on Thursday
109. US Vice-President JD Vance has left India after a four-day visit. He was accompanied by his wife and children.
110. During his visit, Vance met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed strengthening India-US ties and the bilateral trade deal the countries are negotiating. He also visited iconic monuments like the Taj Mahal in Agra and Amer fort in Rajasthan.
111. The brutal attack in Indian-administered Kashmir took place during Vance’s stay in India, casting a shadow over his trip. Vance condemned the “horrific” attack and expressed his solidarity with India and the victims.
114. Image source, ANI
115. Image caption,
116. Asavari Jagdale led the last rites of her father on Thursday
117. The bodies of victims killed in the attack are continuing to reach their home states.
118. Social media is full of videos and images of tearful family members performing the last rites of their loved ones. There’s plenty of media coverage as the killings have generated a lot of grief and anger across the country.
119. In the western state of Maharashtra, Asavari Jagdale led the last rites of her father on Thursday. Her father and uncle were killed by gunmen as she watched in horror.
122. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and defence analysts in the country have claimed that the Pahalgam attack could be a possible Indian “false flag operation.”
123. What is a “false flag” operation?
124. A false flag is a political or military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent for it.
125. Nations have often done this by staging a real or simulated attack on their own side and saying the enemy did it, as a pretext for going to war.
126. The term was first used in the 16th Century to describe how pirates flew the flag of a friendly nation to deceive merchant ships into allowing them to draw near.
127. As you can read here, false flag attacks have a long and ignoble history.
130. South Asia “again stands on a knife’s edge” following the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, writes Dawn, external, Pakistan’s leading English language newspaper in an editorial on Thursday.
131. “No cause can justify the targeting of innocent non-combatants, and the incident must be roundly condemned, the paper said.
132. However, “India must also look inwards and review its brutal rule in held Kashmir, which has bred immense discontent”, Dawn said.
133. “…When all peaceful avenues for a just resolution to the Kashmir dispute are blocked, it is not surprising that some inside the occupied territory take up guns to express their anger.”
134. “Genuine peace can only come to Kashmir – and the rest of South Asia – when this nearly eight-decade-old dispute is resolved as per the wishes of the Kashmiris, with buy-in from Pakistan and India,” Dawn wrote.
135. Image source, AFP
136. Image caption,
137. Indian soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post on Thursday
138. Rather than fuelling a blame game or escalating tensions, the tragic Pahalgam attack should be seen as “an opportunity in disaster” to confront the broader threat of terrorism through collective action against a “faceless enemy,” The Tribune, external said in a separate editorial.
139. “That the attack was timed with [JD] Vance’s presence in India does point towards some unscrupulous elements choreographing this lethal act to serve their vested designs,” the paper wrote.
140. The Nation , externalsaid in its editorial that the “coordinated outcry [from India] only strengthens Pakistan’s suspicion that the attack may have been pre-planned, a false flag operation designed with a purpose.”
141. The newspaper said that India’s suspension of the Indus water-sharing treaty “represents not just a breach of an agreement, but a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining Pakistan’s security and sovereignty.”
144. Image source, The Hindu
145. Indian newspapers are leading with the government action announced against Pakistan on Wednesday night.
146. “Terror-hit India pauses Indus pact with Pak,” read The Hindu newspaper’s front page
147. “India must speak in one voice in this period of national calamity… The unity of the Indian people is the most potent antidote to terror instigated from across the border,” it added.
148. The Indian Express front page highlighted how people in Indian-administered Kashmir had turned out in protest: ‘Sin to stay silent’: Srinagar to Jammu, towns shut down, people turn out in solidarity, protest attack
149. In its editorial, the Indian Express wrote: “Nothing can compensate those who lost their loved ones on Tuesday. But the best tribute to those killed in the terror strikes would be for the Centre and state governments to reiterate their commitment to providing a fear-free environment to the people of [Jammu and Kashmir], and to those who visit the [federally administrated territory]. The shikara owner, the tour operator, the cab driver, owners and employees of hotels and inns, entrepreneurs, workers – indeed, everyone has a stake in peace. As the government goes back to the drawing board, it will need the support of all these stakeholders.”
150. Image source, HT
151. It’s a view echoed in other papers.
152. “The onus is now on the political and security establishment — in New Delhi and Srinagar — to work together, uncover the terror networks and linkages, and gather evidence so that responsibility can be pinned on the perpetrators of the violence,” said the editorial in The Hindustan Times newspaper.
153. “They need to do this without constricting the civic freedoms available to residents, especially since the election of a popular government in October 2024.”
154. Image source, The Telegraph
155. The Telegraph‘s editorial board wrote: “New Delhi must build on this show of solidarity expressed by the people of Kashmir so that the State can go on to dismantle the shadowy nexus between militancy and its patrons.”
156. “A lesson that holds true for battle turfs against militancy around the world is that ordinary people hold the key to the outcome of such conflicts. Responding positively to the message sent out by the ordinary Kashmiri against militants would hand New Delhi such an advantage,” it added.
159. On Wednesday night, India announced a raft of retaliatory measures against its neighbour Pakistan. Here’s a quick recap:

• It has suspended its six-decade long water treaty with Pakistan – the Indus Water Treaty – which allowed for the sharing of water between the two countries.
• India has also shut a key border with Pakistan which allowed for movement between the countries. This will impact not just the movement of people, but also goods since it’s an important land transit point.
• Delhi has also cancelled a visa exemption scheme for Pakistani nationals. Visas that were previously issued under this scheme have also been deemed cancelled and Pakistani nationals who are currently in India under this scheme are required to leave the country within 48 hours.
• Pakistani military advisers in the country’s high commission in India have been declared ‘persona non grata’ and they have been asked to leave the country within one week. India will also withdraw its military advisers from its high commission in Pakistan.
• And lastly, India will also reduce its staff in its high commission in Pakistan and bring down the number of Pakistani diplomats in the Pakistan High Commission in India to 30 from 55 from 1 May.

1. Pakistani officials, who have denied the country’s role in the attack, are meeting on Thursday to come up with a response. Read more here
4. Protests against the Pahalgam attack, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, are still being held in Indian-administered Kashmir. On Wednesday night, demonstrators came out on the streets in Srinagar, holding a candle-light vigil to demand justice for the victims.
5. Video by Shafat Farooq, BBC Urdu
6. Media caption,
7. Protests against the attack continue in Srinagar
10. Things have been moving fast in the aftermath of the brutal attack in Pahalgam. Here’s what’s expected to happen today:

• The Indian government is expected to convene an all-party meeting to brief opposition leaders on the attack and discuss further action.
• Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also called an all-party meeting in the region
• Pakistan’s National Security Committee will meet to determine a response to the Indian government’s measures which were announced last night
• The bodies of the people killed in the attack are continuing to reach their hometowns today, and their last rites will be held
• Indian Army is continuing to hold a massive search operation with the Jammu and Kashmir Police in parts of Kashmir to find the suspected attackers

1. Stay with us as we bring you all the updates

Page 2

2. The friend of Kaustubh Ganbote, one of the men killed in the attack, has spoken to the Press Trust of India.
3. Sunil More, a close friend and neighbour, said Ganbote spent most of his life working to expanding his snacks business and rarely took time away from work.
4. “This was the first time he and his wife had decided to travel outside the city. They planned the trip with his close friend Santosh and his family. Only eight days ago he had told me about the Kashmir plan. He was really excited.”
5. Ganbote had also recently become a grandfather, More said.
8. Image source, Getty Images
9. Tourism is a vital source of revenue for Indian-administered Kashmir.
10. Domestic tourism, particularly, has been a vital lifeblood for the region, which has stunning mountains, valleys and picturesque views.
11. Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures. Arrivals have been growing steadily over the last few years.
12. Yesterday’s attack happened during peak spring season and in a part of Pahalgam that is on most tourist itineraries. It is home to one of two routes to the popular Amarnath cave and the Baisaran pine forest that is popular for trekking.
13. In the hours following the attack, the streets of the popular tourist town were deserted, with many tourists opting to leave Kashmir, cutting short their trips. Tour operators have told local media that many upcoming trips to the region have also been cancelled.
14. Akib Chaya, a hotel owner in Pahalgam, told the BBC’s Newshour programme that tourists had been coming to the region safely for three or four decades.
15. “They have killed our fellow countrymen. They have killed our hospitality. We are famous in the world for hospitality, they have also killed that,” he told the BBC.
16. Chaya also expressed his anger at the gunmen disrupting the peace process in Kashmir, calling them “bloody animals” and urging the government to offer “some kind of retaliation”.
19. Pakistan’s foreign ministry initially responded to the attack by extending condolences to the families of those killed.
20. In a statement, the ministry said, “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in 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.”
21. But in an appearance on local television late on Wednesday, following several measures taken by India including the closure of its main border with Pakistan and the suspension of a historic water sharing agreement, the country’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, struck a different tone.
22. Dar called India’s response to Pakistan “immature” and “hasty”, saying, “India has not given any evidence. They have not shown any maturity in their response,” and that the response was “non-serious”.
23. ” They started creating hype immediately after the incident,” he said on the programme, according to local media.
26. Pakistan’s National Security Committee will meet on Thursday morning to determine a response to the Indian government’s measures targeting Pakistan, which include closing the main border crossing, suspending a water-sharing treaty, and expelling diplomats, the country’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, wrote, external on X.
29. Soutik Biswas
30. India Correspondent
31. In recent years, the Indian government has consistently highlighted a significant decline in violence in Jammu and Kashmir, attributing this to its security and policy measures.​
32. In January last year, Federal Home Minister Amit Shah noted a 66% decline in terrorist incidents and an 81% drop in civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
33. Data presented to a parliamentary panel by the Ministry of Home Affairs late last year indicated that terror-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir fell from 286 in 2019 to significantly lower numbers in subsequent years, with only five attacks on security forces reported till November 2024.
34. But Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam reveals how fragile and elusive peace remains and points to a massive intelligence and security failure, experts say.
37. In response to Monday’s deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, India said it would suspend the Indus Water Treaty – which has been in place since 1960 and survived decades of hostile incidents between the two countries.
38. The treaty governs water sharing of the water supply from the Indus river and its distributaries. Under the agreement, India has control over the eastern rivers, and Pakistan the western ones. It also allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other,
39. The agreement also stipulates that India must, with few exceptions, allow water from the western rivers to flow downstream into Pakistan.
40. The suspension of the agreement is likely to impact millions of Pakistanis who depend on the treaty for their water supply and livelihoods.
41. Image source, Reuters
42. Image caption,
43. People walk on the dry patch of the Indus River, in Jamshoro, Pakistan 15 March 2025
45. 
46. Soutik Biswas
47. India Correspondent
48. Given the fraught history of Kashmir – claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled by each only in part – India’s response is likely to be shaped as much by precedent as by pressure, say experts.
49. For starters, Delhi has swiftly taken a series of retaliatory steps: closing the main border crossing, suspending a critical water-sharing treaty, and expelling diplomats.
50. More significantly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has vowed a “strong response,”, external pledging action not just against the perpetrators but also the masterminds behind the “nefarious acts” on Indian soil.
51. The question, analysts say, is not whether there will be a military response – but when, and how calibrated it will be, and at what cost.
52. Read the BBC’s analysis on the risks of military escalation after the attack here.
55. Image source, Reuters
56. Welcome back to our live coverage of developments following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 people were killed after gunmen opened fire on tourists at a resort in Pahalgam.
57. India has announced measures targeting Pakistan which include the closure of the main border crossing linking the two countries, the suspension of a water-sharing treaty and the expulsion of diplomats.
58. Some Pakistanis have also had their visas cancelled and have been ordered to leave the country within two days.
59. India is demanding that Pakistan ends its “support for cross-border terrorism” – something Islamabad denies.
60. Pakistani officials will meet on Thursday to discuss a response.
61. Stay with us as we bring you the latest news.
64. Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. We’re pausing this live page, but you can head here to read all that happened.
65. This page was edited by Geeta Pandey in London and produced by Zoya Mateen and Sharanya Hrishikesh in Delhi, with contributions from Soutik Biswas, Ayeshea Perera, Aparna Alluri, Joel Guinto, James Chater, Meryl Sebastian, Cherylann Mollan, Nikita Yadav, Neyaz Farooquee, Shafat Farooq, Yogita Limaye, Nikhil Inamdar, Riyaz Masroor, Majid Jahangir, Ashok Dahal, Azadeh Moshiri, Anbarasan Ethirajan Pinaki Chakraborty, Vikas Pandey, Anahita Sachdev, Antriksha Pathania and Simon Fraser.
68. Large numbers of people came out across Srinagar city on Wednesday evening to hold candle-light vigils for those killed in Pahalgam.
69. Image source, Ubaid Mukhtar
70. Image source, Ubaid Mukhtar
71. Image source, Ubaid Mukhtar
74. Image source, Getty Images
75. Attacks on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir are rare but not unheard of. The Pahalgam attack, however, is the biggest in recent years, with 26 tourists killed.
76. The main target of militants during the decades-long separatist insurgency in the region has been Indian security forces, but civilians, including local populations, have often been caught up in the attacks.
77. In 2001, a suicide attack on Kashmir’s assembly complex killed 36, a blast in 2002 killed 19 and a car explosion in 2005 killed 13.
78. Militants have also often targeted Hindu pilgrims visiting the Amarnath caves for the annual pilgrimage, killing dozens. In one of the major attacks in August 2000, at least 32 people, including several pilgrims and locals, were killed.
81. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called an all-party meeting in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday afternoon.
82. In a letter inviting leaders of parties in the state, Abdullah wrote that the attack “is not merely a tragedy for a region or a party – it is a wound upon the very soul of Jammu and Kashmir”.
83. “I believe it is out collective duty – as representatives of the people and as custodians of democratic values – to come together irrespective of our political affiliations and stand united in our response.”
84. The meeting, Abdullah wrote, will help “as we shape a common voice that reflects the strength and solidarity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
85. Image source, Getty Images
86. Image caption,
87. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called the attack “a wound upon the very soul of Jammu and Kashmir”
90. India’s national broadcaster is reporting that Prime Minister Modi is chairing a meeting of the cabinet committee on security to discuss the Pahalgam attack.
91. The participants include Modi’s top ministerial colleagues and India’s national security adviser.
92. The meeting is under way at the prime minister’s residence. Further details are awaited.
95. Nikhil Inamdar
96. BBC News
97. Several Indian celebrities have taken to social media to express anguish at Tuesday’s attack.
98. “Words fail to express the sadness and anger at the treachery and inhumane act of violence that has occurred in Pahalgam. In times like these, one can only turn to God and say a prayer for the families that suffered and express my deepest condolences,” Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan wrote on X.
99. Many other actors like Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and Akshay Kumar also condemned the killings on their Instagram accounts.
100. “Every time something like this happens, it chips away at our shared humanity,” wrote Bhatt
101. Many current and former Indian cricketers like Shubhman Gill, Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar also shared their condolences and expressed shock at the tragedy.
102. “The affected families must be going through an unimaginable ordeal – India and the world stand united with them at this dark hour as we mourn the loss of lives and pray for justice,” Tendulkar wrote on X.
105. Deepali Jagtap and Vinayak Hogade
106. BBC Marathi
107. Image source, BBC Marathi
108. Image caption,
109. Hemant Joshi seen with Atul Mone, Sanjay Lele and other family members in Kashmir before the tragedy
110. Three cousins from the western state of Maharashtra are among those killed in the Pahalgam attack.
111. Atul Mone, Sanjay Lele and Hemant Joshi had gone to Kashmir on holiday with six other family members.
112. Lele was an employee at a pharmaceutical company. His cousin Kaushik Lele says the family received the news of his death last night.
113. “We are in shock,” he says.
114. Mone, 43, worked as a senior section engineer in the Indian Railways and was in Kashmir with his wife and 18-year-old daughter.
115. “He was like a brother to me,” says his friend Mahesh Surse, who lived in the same building as Mone and had been friends with him for 25 years.
116. Surse had also planned a trip to Kashmir with his family next month but has now cancelled his booking.
117. “We are deeply shocked. There’s fear in our hearts,” Surse’s wife Vanita says. “I feel that until the government ensures tourist safety, people shouldn’t go there at all.”
120. Anbarasan Ethirajan
121. South Asia editor, BBC World Service
122. Attacks on tourists are rare in Indian-administered Kashmir as it affects the tourism-dependent economy and angers locals.
123. So, this incident has come out of nowhere and even Kashmiris are wondering how this happened. The anti-India insurgency has waned in the past decade and elections were held amid tight security last year and millions of tourists visited the region.
124. “The militants seemed to be adopting a new strategy by infiltrating and launching attacks in areas which were relatively peaceful in the past 15 years,” retired Gen DS Hooda, who headed the Northern Command of the Indian army in Kashmir, told the BBC.
125. The attack will be seen as a setback for the Indian government that has been trying to project peace and development in the region after years of insurgency. Given the tight security, questions will be raised whether there was any intelligence failure or security lapse.
128. Image source, Getty Images
129. Opposition leaders in India have strongly reacted to the deadly attack and accused Prime Minister Modi’s government of severe security lapses.
130. Senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said the government must “take accountability” for the killings instead of “making hollow claims” about normalcy being restored in Indian-administered Kashmir.
131. His colleague and party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the killings were a “blot on humanity”.

Quote Message

“India’s national security is paramount and we urge the government of India to take corrective measures to ensure the same.”

Mallikarjun Kharge, President of Congress party

1. MK Stalin, chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, condemned the attack, calling it a “barbaric act that shocks the conscience”.
2. Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister, said her government was taking all steps to bring back the bodies of the three victims from her state.
5. While we wait for more details on Tuesday’s attack, security agencies have released the sketches of three of the gunmen suspected to be involved in the killings, news agency PTI reports.
6. Officials say they have identified the men as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha, who used code names Moosa, Yunus and Asif respectively.
7. They said the sketches were made based on the descriptions given by some of the survivors.
8. Image source, PTI
11. We’ve just heard from India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
12. He condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act”, and said India had a “policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism”.
13. He assured people that the government would take all the necessary steps to “reach the perpetrators of this act and also the actors behind the scenes”.
14. “The accused will soon see a loud and clear response, I want to assure the country,” he said.
17. Simon Fraser
18. Asia digital editor, London
19. Details of how the shootings unfolded are still emerging, but here is what we know so far from eyewitnesses and police sources.

• Four gunmen came out of forests at a popular tourist spot near the town of Pahalgam on Tuesday and raked crowds of visitors with automatic gunfire, killing at least 26 people.
• Baisaran meadow where the slaughter took place is accessible by foot or on horseback. Vehicles can’t drive all the way there from Pahalgam, about 5km (3 miles) away. So some of the injured had to be carried on horses initially to take them for medical treatment.
• Reports suggest the shooting went on for up to 20 or 30 minutes. All the attackers managed to escape before security forces arrived on the scene – a search operation has been launched to locate them. The Indian government has so far not blamed any group for carrying out the attack.
• The gunmen were clearly targeting men, eyewitnesses to the attack have been telling local media. Some eyewitnesses said the attackers deliberately targeted non-Muslims, but others said the shooting was random. At least one local Muslim trader died in the attack too.
• “They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes [with a] single shot and sometimes many bullets. It was like a storm,” one woman told AFP news agency.
• Several videos that have gone viral show people running for their lives. One woman is seen screaming for help, pointing at her badly-injured husband. In the background, several bodies can be seen. In another video, locals can be seen rushing to help the victims.

Page 3

2. Soutik Biswas
3. India Correspondent
4. The timing of the attack raises significant questions, particularly given the context in which it occurred, says Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US.
5. He points out that the attack coincided with several key events: the visit of US Vice President JD Vance to India, a speech by Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir, external highlighting Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, and Indian Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Saudi Arabia.
6. Just last week, Gen Munir had said that “Pakistan would stand by Kashmiris in their fight against Indian occupation”, calling Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein”.
7. Mr Haqqani told the BBC that the comments might signal a shift in Pakistan’s strategy.
8. “They could be interpreted as suggesting that due to India’s refusal to [engage with] Pakistan over Kashmir, Pakistan’s military establishment, unlike during his predecessor’s time, will no longer apply pressure on jihadi groups that operate inside Pakistani territory,” Mr Haqqani said .
9. “At a time when Pakistan faces economic, political and security crises, the India factor can be a useful tool to unite the Pakistani public against an external enemy.”
12. Reactions are continuing to pour in from around the world as leaders express their condemnation for the horrific killings in Pahalgam.
13. Just hours earlier, Prime Minister Modi held talks with the leaders of Mauritius, Nepal and Australia, a statement by the Indian foreign ministry said.
14. It added that Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam had expressed his support and solidarity with India and said the two countries “remain united in the fight against terror”.
15. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, has said his country will extend “all support” to India to fight terrorism.
16. Modi also spoke with Nepal’s leader KP Sharma Oli and conveyed his condolences on the death of a Nepalese national in the attack, the statement added.
19. Imran Qureshi
20. BBC Hindi, Bangalore
21. Image source, Imran Qureshi/BBC
22. Image caption,
23. Ganesh Bhat says he recommended Pahalgam as a holiday destination to his friend Manjunath Rao, one of the victims.
24. A 47-year-old realtor from Karnataka state, Rao was visiting Pahalgam with his wife and son and was reportedly shot in the head.
25. “He had called me on Monday night to say the trip was worth it,” Bhat told BBC Hindi. Hours later, Rao’s family and friends are grappling with an unimaginable tragedy.
26. This was the Rao family’s first visit to the region.
27. “Their son had passed his school leaving exam with 96% and they went there to celebrate.”
28. Bhat, who runs a brokerage firm, had himself visited the region earlier in April with his family.
29. “When I was there, I had asked the local people how the security situation was. They had said everything was safe. We also felt no sense of insecurity.”
32. Image source, Getty Images
33. …but we don’t have an official statement yet on the events that led to the killings of 26 civilians.
34. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have condemned the attack with assurances that the culprits will be brought to justice.
35. Modi, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia when the attack took place, cut short his visit and returned to India on Wednesday morning.
36. Shah is in Kashmir, where he paid respects to those killed in the attack and met survivors.
37. Amidst the growing anger in India, Pakistan has condemned the attack and unequivocally asserted that it had nothing to do with the events in Pahalgam.
38. Stay with us as we continue to bring you more details.
41. In many towns across Kashmir, protesters condemning the Pahalgam attack have come out onto the streets. In Srinagar, local traders demonstrated in Lal Chowk, the heart of the city usually bustling with people. Today, it is shuttered down. The BBC’s Yogita Limaye reports.
42. Media caption,
43. Protests intensify as more people take to the streets
46. Soutik Biswas
47. India Correspondent
48. It’s a grim pattern: the moment there’s an attack in Kashmir, India accuses and Pakistan rebuffs. The old script plays out, and the chill between the neighbours deepens.
49. I asked Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, whether the neighbourly relations were now truly beyond repair.
50. “The recent terror attacks while reprehensible are not new in India-Pakistan relations,” he said.
51. “Relations between the two countries always go through a cycle: there is a terror attack inside India, there is a response by India that leads to escalation, then after global pressure there is a calming down of the situation, and relations go back to what they were prior to the attack, Mr Haqqani said.
52. “Right now it is unlikely that relations will get beyond repair, but it is equally unlikely that it will result in any thawing of relations.”
53. In other words, the script may be painfully familiar – and so might be the impasse. For now, the cycle grinds on, with no reset in sight.
56. Image source, ANI
57. Image caption,
58. Syed Hussain Shah’s mother told reporters that her son was the sole breadwinner for his family
59. The horrific attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists has shattered families across the country.
60. Eyewitnesses and survivors have shared accounts with reporters, painting a terrifying picture of those fateful moments.
61. Veenu Bhai told BBC Hindi that the ordeal began in the afternoon when tourists gathered at Baisaran, a mountain-top meadow three miles (5km) from Pahalgam, heard gunshots.
62. People began to run for cover and some got injured, others got separated from their groups and some got shot, he said.
63. Most of the victims of the attack were Hindu men. Some eyewitnesses told the media it appeared the gunmen had targeted non-Muslim men, but others said the shooting was random. A local Muslim man is also among the victims.
64. Image source, Imran Qureshi/BBC
65. Image caption,
66. Ganesh Bhat lost his friend in the attack
67. Asavari, the daughter of Santosh Jagdale – a businessman from Maharashtra state who was killed – told PTI news agency that the attackers asked her father to recite an Islamic verse.
68. “When he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back,” she said.
69. The Indian authorities have not given an official account on whether people were targeted on the basis of religion.
70. The other victims were an Indian Navy officer who was on his honeymoon and a horse-rider who was the sole breadwinner for his family. A businessman holidaying with his wife and children was shot dead in front of them.
71. Hawa Singh Narwal, grandfather of Vinay Narwal, the naval officer, told BBC Punjabi that he wanted “exemplary punishment” for the attackers.
72. Ganesh Bhat, who recommended Pahalgam as a holiday destination to his friend Manjunath Rao, one of the victims, is overcome with grief and struggling to come to terms with his friend’s death.
73. Some families are putting their dead relatives to rest while others are waiting for the bodies to be returned to them.
74. There’s unease and tense silence in the air. India is a nation in mourning.
75. Additional reporting by BBC Hindi and BBC Punjabi
78. Yogita Limaye
79. Reporting from Srinagar
80. We’re about 60km (37 miles) from the site of the attack in Pahalgam.
81. Journalists are not being allowed to go past the security cordons. The police say they have instructions to not allow the media beyond this point, although there are no restrictions on civilian movement here.
82. This has made it impossible for us to reach the hospital where the injured and affected are being treated.
83. Some journalists were able to get there overnight before the restrictions were imposed.
84. It’s always been difficult to report from Kashmir given the conflict that has raged on, but in the past five years since its special status was revoked, local journalists have been forced to operate under severe restrictions – mostly unable to independently report from here.
87. Syed Hussain Shah, a resident of Anantnag district in Kashmir, used to take tourists on horse rides to earn a living. His father spoke to ANI news agency about the moment he heard of his son’s death.
88. Media caption,
89. ‘He was innocent and yet he was killed’: Family mourns death of son
92. Surbhi Kaul
93. BBC Monitoring
94. Image source, Getty Images
95. Russian news accounts have highlighted President Vladimir Putin’s condemnation of the attacks in the tourist spot of Pahalgam.
96. On X, Sputnik India and RT India prominently featured Putin’s message expressing “heartfelt condolences” to India’s president and prime minister and highlighted his message that Moscow was ready to cooperate with India to “combat all forms and manifestations of terrorism”.
97. “There can be no justification for this brutal crime. We trust that its organisers and perpetrators will receive the punishment they deserve,” the Russian embassy in India said on X.
100. After visiting the Taj Mahal, US Vice-President JD Vance spoke to reporters about Tuesday’s attack.
101. “We’re providing whatever assistance and help we can provide,” Vance said, adding that he would be speaking to Prime Minister Modi later on Wednesday.
102. Media caption,
103. JD Vance offers condolences, calls the attack ‘terrible’
106. Image source, Information department, Agra
107. We have already reported that the attack took place while US Vice-President JD Vance has been touring India.
108. Vance and his wife Usha have condemned the attacks.
109. On Wednesday, Vance visited the iconic Taj Mahal in the northern Agra city with his family where they posed for a photograph in front of the monument.
112. Kamal Saini
113. BBC Punjabi, reporting from Karnal
114. Image source, Kamal Saini/BBC
115. Image caption,
116. Vinay Narwal married just last week
117. Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer, was on his honeymoon in Pahalgam when he was killed. He had married just last week, on 16 April.
118. A photo of Vinay’s wife Himanshi, sitting near her husband’s body, has been widely shared on social media after the attack.
119. “He wanted to go to Switzerland for his honeymoon but did not get a visa,” says his grandfather Hawa Singh Narwal.
120. ‘‘Had he not been shot, he might have managed to handle two or three people,” his grandfather says. “He was a strong man.”
121. Hawa Singh Narwal says he wants “exemplary punishment” for the killers of his grandson.
122. “This terrorism should end. Today, I lost my grandson. Tomorrow, someone else will lose their loved one.”
125. Image source, Amit Shah/X
126. Federal Home Minister Amit Shah paid his last respects to those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack and met some of the survivors on Wednesday.
127. Shah said the pain of losing loved ones “could not be expressed in words”, while assuring families that the attackers “would not be spared”.
128. Photos shared on Shah’s X page showed him meeting survivors and laying wreaths on the coffins of the victims.
129. “Bharat [India] will not bend to terror,” he wrote on X. “The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared.”
130. A video posted by news agency ANI showed some survivors bursting into tears as they met Shah.
133. Soutik Biswas
134. India Correspondent
135. The attack on tourists in Pahalgam comes at a time of high diplomatic visibility, coinciding with the visit of US Vice-President JD Vance to India.
136. This is not the first time militancy in Kashmir has overlapped with key US visits.
137. On 20 March, 2000 – just a day before then US president Bill Clinton arrived in India – 36 Sikh villagers were massacred in Chittisinghpora in Anantnag, allegedly by Pakistan-based militants.
138. The attack cast a dark shadow over Clinton’s visit, prompting then prime minister AB Vajpayee to raise Pakistan’s role directly with him.
139. Two years later, on 14 May 2002, during the then US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca’s visit, militants struck again – this time in Kaluchak.
140. Armed men opened fire on a civilian bus and then attacked army family quarters, killing 23 people, including 10 children, and injuring 34 others.
141. These attacks, coinciding with high-level US engagements, reflect how militant groups in the region have used moments of international spotlight to send signals – testing both India’s security response and the resilience of its diplomatic partnerships.
144. Ashok Dahal
145. BBC Nepali
146. The Nepalese embassy in Delhi has confirmed the death of one of its citizens in the attack.
147. The deceased was a resident of Butwal in western Nepal and had gone to Kashmir with his family for a holiday, the embassy said.
148. Relatives confirmed the deceased was a student named Sudip Neupane.
149. “Sudip had gone with his mother, sister and brother-in-law to India. The remaining three are said to be safe,” Dadhiram Neupane, the victim’s uncle who is travelling from Butwal to the capital, Kathmandu, to receive his nephew’s body, said.
150. Surendra Thapa, deputy chief of mission at the Nepal Embassy in Delhi, said: “His mother also sustained injuries during their escape, but she is in a stable condition.”
151. Earlier on Wednesday, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli had condemned the attack and pledged to stand with India in the “fight against terrorism”.
154. The BBC’s Yogita Limaye reports from the ground as victims’ bodies are transported from the police control room to the airport in Srinagar, the region’s main city.
155. Media caption,
156. Special flights will take victims’ bodies back home
159. Azadeh Moshiri
160. Reporting from Islamabad
161. Image source, Getty Images
162. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has denied that his country had any role in the Pahalgam killings.
163. Describing these as homegrown insurgencies against the Indian government, he said it was “easy” to blame Pakistan for the attack.
164. Asif instead accused India of interfering in Pakistan’s affairs, which Delhi has firmly denied in the past.
165. Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, has seen a decades-long insurgency against Indian rule, which Delhi accuses Islamabad of helping to fund and support. Pakistan denies the charge.
168. Yogita Limaye
169. South Asia & Afghanistan correspondent
170. 
171. Traders in Kashmir have condemned the killings and are holding protests against it in the Lal Chowk area, the nerve centre of the region’s capital, Srinagar.
172. The protesters waved black flags and placards saying, “no to terrorism” and “stop killing innocents”. Referring to visiting tourists, they chanted, “end the killings of our guests”.
175. Nikhil Inamdar
176. Reporting from London
177. Tuesday’s brutal attack in Pahalgam comes just as the peak travel season in Kashmir is about to begin, and it could cripple the state’s tourism economy
178. Abhishek Sansare from Abhishek Holidays, a Mumbai-based agency that arranges group tours, told the BBC there was “panic” among some visitors who were already in the capital, Srinagar, and “fear and anger” among those slated to go later in the year.
179. “We’re getting many cancellation requests,” he said.
180. Airlines have added extra flights to Srinagar to support the rush of tourists wanting to return home.
181. Jammu and Kashmir has seen a massive surge in tourist arrivals after the state was stripped off its autonomous status in 2019, with over 23 million people visiting last year.
182. Prime Minister Modi announced a slew of projects worth 64bn rupees ($748m; £562m) to support local agriculture and tourism in a pre-election trip to the state last year.
183. A railway line connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country is slated to be inaugurated by Modi later this year.
184. Image source, Getty Images
185. Image caption,
186. Kashmir’s economy depends on tourism

Page 4

2. Pahalgam, a scenic town in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Anantnag district, plays a crucial role in one of Hinduism’s most revered religious events.
3. Pilgrims use the town as a base camp before starting their 32km (20 miles) journey on foot or on horses through the mountainous terrain to reach the Amarnath cave temple, which is dedicated to Hindu god Shiva.
4. This is one of several routes that pilgrims take for what is known as the annual Amarnath Yatra. The attack has come just months before the 39-day yatra gets under way on 3 July.
5. Although Tuesday’s targeting of tourists is rare, the pilgrimage route has been targeted before as well. At least 32 people were killed when the Nuwan base camp was attacked in 2000, and 11 died in an attack at Chandanwari base camp in 2002. In 2017, at least eight people died in Kulgam when a bus carrying pilgrims came under attack.
6. Image source, Getty Images
9. Cherylann Mollan
10. Reporting from Mumbai
11. Image source, Siddharth Bakaria
12. Image caption,
13. Siddharth Bakaria, the founder of Go Jammu and Kashmir travel agency
14. Travel agency operators, tour guides and others who depend on tourism for their livelihoods fear their businesses will be hit badly.
15. Siddharth Bakaria, who runs a travel agency, Go Jammu and Kashmir, says people have been cancelling their upcoming trips.
16. “We’ve received about 270 cancellation requests so far,” Mr Bakaria said, adding that this would amount to a loss of about 40m rupees ($468,000; £350,000).
17. He also said that some of the clients calling to cancel their bookings had expressed anger towards “people like him” – meaning Kashmiris – seeming to hold them responsible for the attack. However, locals have condemned the killings and there have been several protests in the region since last evening.
18. A woman who handles bookings at three hotels in Pahalgam told the BBC on condition of anonymity that she too has been receiving dozens of cancellation requests, something that’s never happened before.
19. “People are scared now; they don’t want to visit Kashmir,” she said.
20. Ummer Shafi Wani, a taxi operator in Pahalgam, said tourists were rushing to leave the region. Around 700 local taxis were taking people to their homes and the airport since the attack, he said.
21. “The attack has completely destroyed our businesses. We depend on tourism for our livelihood and there’s fear [among drivers] that we may not be able to bounce back after this incident,” Mr Wani said.
24. Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah has said it is heartbreaking to “see the exodus of our guests” from the valley, after Tuesday’s tragic attack but he understands “why people would want to leave”.
25. India’s civil aviation authorities said there was “unexpected demand from tourists seeking to return to their homes” and they had asked airlines to take swift action to increase the number of flights in response to heightened demand and wave off cancellation and rescheduling fees.
26. Abdullah said the government was working to organise extra flights and authorities were also allowing tourist vehicles to leave by road.
27. But permitting completely free movement was proving difficult because the road was unstable in places and officials were working hard to clear all the stranded vehicles, he said.
30. Pinaki Chakraborty
31. Reporting from Delhi
32. Front pages of leading newspapers in Indian-administered Kashmir have published black front pages following the attack in Pahalgam.
33. English and Urdu dailies, including Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, Kashmir Uzma and Taimeel-I-Irshad, had a sombre black background with headlines and editorials printed in red and white.
34. 
37. If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick look at what’s happened so far:

• Twenty-six people were killed after gunmen opened fire on tourists visiting Pahalgam, a popular destination in Indian-administered Kashmir
• The attack took place in a meadow which is only accessible by foot or on horseback
• Among those killed were a naval officer on his honeymoon, a tech worker, an intelligence officer and a local tour guide
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India
• The region’s Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, said the “attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
• Kashmir is seeing protest marches against the killings amid a shutdown in the region on Wednesday
• Security has been heightened with a large deployment of security forces
• Tourists have rarely been targeted in the decades-long history of region’s conflict

3. Eyewitnesses recount the horrific moment when gunmen opened fire, forcing them to run for their lives. “If we had not left the spot in time, we wouldn’t be alive,” one survivor told BBC Hindi.
4. Media caption,
5. ‘Run quickly, we are under attack’: What eyewitnesses saw
8. We are getting pictures of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti leading a protest march against the killings in Pahalgam.
9. She had earlier supported calls for a shutdown as a mark of respect for the lives lost in the attack.
10. “A thorough investigation is needed to bring the perpetrators to justice and examine potential security lapses. Ensuring visitor safety is paramount and steps must be taken to prevent future attacks,” Mufti wrote on X.
11. 
12. 
15. Majid Jehangir
16. BBC Hindi, reporting from Pahalgam
17. Image source, Getty Images
18. In the Langan Bal area, a few kilometres from Pahalgam, the atmosphere is tense, with a large deployment of security forces.
19. On the way to Pahalgam, I was stopped three times by local police personnel who didn’t allow me to move towards the site of the attack.
20. In Pahalgam, the main market is shut.
21. Javed Ahmed, a hotelier in the region, is shocked at the “gruesome, inhuman” attack and says it’s bad news for ordinary Kashmiris and the region’s tourism industry.
22. Ahmed’s hotel had been sold out until June but he now fears the attack could lead to cancellation of reservations and impact his business.
23. A local shawl vendor, who has been running his business for over three decades, expressed “deep anger” over the attack.
24. The lone breadwinner for his family, he said “whenever tourism peaks in Kashmir, something bad happens”.
27. Pinaki Chakraborty
28. Reporting from Delhi
29. Pahalgam is a hill station in the southern part of Indian-administered Kashmir. Located about 90km [56 miles] from the airport in the region’s main city Srinagar, the town is a major tourist centre and accounts for a bulk of tourist footfall in the state.
30. It is around 200km from the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
31. The local government recently announced that more than 23 million tourists visited the state in 2024 – a huge chunk of them are believed to have visited the scenic town.
32. The town and its surrounding areas are known for their lush green meadows and stunning natural beauty and are a favourite with India filmmakers.
33. Pahalgam also serves as the base camp for the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave offering the pilgrims essential facilities like accommodation, medical support and transportation for the arduous trek ahead.
36. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has arrived at the site of the attacks in Pahalgam. Shah had travelled to Srinagar, Kashmir’s largest city, on Tuesday evening to hold an emergency security meeting.
37. Media caption,
38. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah reaches attack site
41. Yogita Limaye
42. South Asia & Afghanistan correspondent
43. At the Srinagar airport, tour operators say there is a rush of domestic tourists trying to leave Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. We saw vehicles streaming into the airport.
44. But I did see groups of domestic tourists on my flight from Mumbai who had not cancelled their plans and were still coming into Kashmir.
45. Meanwhile, colleagues who were on a flight from Delhi said their flight was quite empty.
48. Families of the victims have been speaking to the media, sharing the ordeal their loved ones faced as the horrific attack unfolded.
49. Here’s what we know about some of the victims:
50. Manjunath Rao, 47, a businessman from the southern state of Karnataka who was visiting Pahalgam with his wife and son was reportedly killed by a single gunshot to his head.
51. Syed Hussain Shah, a resident of Anantnag district in Kashmir who took tourists on horse rides to earn a living, was the sole breadwinner for his family, his mother told ANI news agency.
52. Image source, ANI
53. Image caption,
54. Syed Hussain Shah’s mother said he was the sole breadwinner for the family
55. Bitan Adhikary, 40, a tech worker from the eastern state of West Bengal who worked in Florida and had returned to his hometown earlier this month to visit his family.
56. Shubham Dwivedi, who got married in February, was visiting the resort with his wife.
57. Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old officer with the Indian Navy, who had married just seven days before the attack and was visiting the meadow with his wife.
58. Manish Ranjan, an intelligence officer from the northern state of Bihar, was also among the victims. He was reportedly shot dead in front of his wife and children.
59. Five people from the western state of Maharashtra were also killed in the attacks, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said in a post on X on Tuesday.
62. There has been no official confirmation of how many people have died in the horrific attack, but a senior member of the state government told the BBC that 26 people have died and several others have been injured.
63. According to reports in the Indian media, at least two of the deceased were foreigners – one from Nepal and the other from UAE.
64. The dead also included a local man, identified as a horse rider and the sole breadwinner for his family.
67. Yogita Limaye
68. South Asia & Afghanistan correspondent
69. There is tight security outside the police control room in Srinagar, where the bodies of the victims of the Pahalgam attack have been kept.
70. Journalists and media personnel are not being allowed inside the building.
71. But we’re seeing the families of the victims, along with the bodies, being brought out in buses and ambulances. They are being transferred to the airport from where they will be flown out to their home cities.
72. 
73. Image caption,
74. Security officials and media personnel standing outside the police control room in Srinagar
75. 
76. Image caption,
77. Most shops in Srinagar are closed today
80. Soutik Biswas
81. India Correspondent
82. There’s been no official confirmation yet on who carried out Tuesday’s brutal attack in Pahalgam.
83. However, media reports citing federal intelligence sources say The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadowy outfit linked to Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, may have claimed responsibility.
84. The group apparently emerged after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, starting as an online propaganda arm before reportedly turning into an active militant network, the reports say.
85. The Indian government designated it a terrorist group in 2023, external, accusing it of recruiting youth, pushing terror content online, and smuggling arms into Jammu and Kashmir.
86. It said “the activities of TRF are detrimental for the national security and sovereignty of India”.
87. “This appears to be an offshoot group linked to Lashkar, likely trying to keep some distance while still signalling it’s active,” military historian Srinath Raghavan told the BBC.
88. “For groups like these, when they’re constrained, they carry out attacks to show their backers they’re still ‘in business’ – a way to prove they remain a usable instrument.”
89. For now, the official silence keeps the full picture unclear – adding to the unease after one of the deadliest strikes on civilians in recent years.
92. Media caption,
93. Uneasy calm after the attack: BBC’s Yogita Limaye reports from the ground
94. There is a shutdown across Indian-administered Kashmir, where schools, business and shops have been closed. The BBC’s Yogita Limaye reports from outside the airport in Srinagar city, where an uneasy calm prevails.
97. We’re now hearing from Pakistan’s foreign ministry in what is the first official reaction on the attack from India’s neighbour.
98. In a statement, a foreign ministry spokesperson expressed condolences to the victims of the attack and said it was “concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives”.
99. The spokesperson also wished “the injured a speedy recovery”.
100. Read more about why Kashmir is a flashpoint between India and Pakistan here
103. Image source, Getty Images
104. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cut short her official visit to the US following the attack in Pahalgam.
105. Sitharaman condemned the attack, saying “there are no words to express grief”.
106. The finance minister was on an 11-day trip to the US and Peru to participate in meetings of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting. She is set to return to India soon.
107. PM Modi had also cut short his official trip to Saudi Arabia and returned to India on Wednesday morning.
110. People in Anantnag and Baramulla held a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night to condemn the violence and demand justice for the victims.
111. Media caption,
112. Locals in Indian-administered Kashmir hold protest against attack
115. We’re now getting fresh visuals from Srinagar – Kashmir’s largest city – where Home Minister Amit Shah has just paid tribute to the victims of yesterday’s attack.
116. Shah, who arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday evening, is expected to travel to Pahalgam later today.
117. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi where he held a brief meeting to take stock of the situation.
118. Image source, ANI

Page 5

2. We are hearing from the Indian Army, which says that it has foiled an infiltration bid by suspected militants in Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Two of the militants have been killed in an exchange of gunfire, it adds.
3. Baramulla is around 140km (87 miles) away from Pahalgam, the site of Tuesday’s attack.
4. The army said the infiltration bid took place close to the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir.
5. In a post on X, the army’s Chinar Corps – which operates in the Kashmir valley – said there had been a heavy exchange of fire between security forces and suspected militants in an ongoing operation in the region.
6. It also said that a “large quantity of weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores” had been recovered from them.
9. Global leaders have expressed condemnation for the attack on civilians in Pahalgam.
10. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to the victims’ families.
11. “Attacks against civilians are unacceptable under any circumstances,” he said.
12. US president Donald Trump said he had already spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the attack.
13. Image source, Getty Images
14. Image caption,
15. US President Donald Trump spoke to PM Modi after the attack

Quote Message

Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against Terrorism. We pray for the souls of those lost, and for the recovery of the injured. Prime Minister Modi, and the incredible people of India, have our full support and deepest sympathies.

Donald Trump, US president

1. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed her sympathies and said that she was “deeply saddened” by the news.
2. “Italy expresses its closeness to the families affected, the injured, the Government and all the Indian people,” she wrote in a post on X.
3. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the attack was “utterly devastating”.

Quote Message

My thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India.

Sir Keir Starmer, UK prime minister

1. UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the attack and said it permanently rejected “all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of international law”.
4. Riyaz Masroor
5. BBC Urdu
6. Businesses and educational institutions across Kashmir are shut in protest against the attack that killed more than 20 people on Tuesday. Public transport facilities have also been affected.
7. Meanwhile, investigations into the attack continue. A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached Srinagar and more teams are expected to follow.
8. Many top security officials are also expected to visit Pahalgam.
11. Image source, Getty Images
12. The attack in Pahalgam took place during US Vice President JD Vance’s four-day visit to India with his family. On Monday, he had held talks with Prime Minister Modi and discussed the trade deal both countries are negotiating.
13. The vice-president was in the western city of Jaipur when the attacks occurred. He is scheduled to go to the northern city of Agra on Wednesday, where he may also visit the iconic Taj Mahal.
14. Vance and his wife Usha have extended their condolences to the victims of the attack in a post on X.
15. “Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack,” he wrote.
18. Image source, Reuters
19. Image caption,
20. Indian police officers at a checkpoint following suspected militant attack in Kashmir
21. Territorial disputes over Kashmir – a Muslim-majority territory in the Himalayas – is at the heart of tensions between India and Pakistan.
22. Since India and Pakistan won independence from Britain in 1947, the neighbours have fought two wars over the region, which they both claim in full but only control in part.
23. Kashmir has been a flashpoint for violence. Discontent over Indian rule in the late 1980s and 1990s led to an insurgency, which Delhi accused Pakistan of helping to fund. Thousands were killed.
24. Indian-administered Kashmir long had a special position within the country, thanks to Article 370 – a clause in the constitution which gave it significant autonomy.
25. But in 2019, India’s ruling party revoked the region’s privileged status, and split the state into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
26. The move led to a deterioration in relations between the two nuclear-armed states, with Pakistan downgrading ties with Delhi.
29. Image source, EPA
30. As a precaution, Indian authorities have tightened security in Delhi following yesterday’s attack in Pahalgam.
31. Strict security checks are being implemented, especially in tourist areas, according to the PTI news agency.
32. Checkpoints have also been set up in the Kashmir valley, officials say.
35. The death toll from a suspected militant attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory has risen to 26, according to the Reuters news agency, citing local police.
38. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, has cut short his trip and returned to India
39. Upon his arrival, Modi held a brief meeting at the airport to take stock of the situation with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other officials, state news outlet Doordarshan said.
40. Image source, ANI
43. The gunmen were clearly targeting men and sparing women, eyewitnesses to the attack have been telling local media.
44. “The militants, I can’t say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” one woman told the AFP news agency.
45. “They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes [with a] single shot and sometimes many bullets. It was like a storm,” she told the agency.
46. Another woman, identified as Pallavi Rao by the Indian Express newspaper, whose husband was among those shot dead, also said that men were being targeted.
49. Gunmen opened fire killing at least 24 tourists in Pahalgam, a picturesque Himalayan town, on Tuesday afternoon. Reports in local media suggest that there are a large number of wounded, with some in critical condition.
50. The attack took place in Baisaran, a mountain-top meadow three miles (5km) from Pahalgam.
51. Survivors have been recounting the horrific moments after they stepped off a tourist bus – one woman, who claimed the attackers targeted men, said her husband died from a single shot to the head, according to the Indian Express newspaper.
52. Another spoke of the chaos as people began screaming and running after the first gunshots.
53. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
54. Although Kashmir has long been the site of an armed insurgency against Indian rule, attacks on tourists have been rare.
55. The region’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said Tuesday’s attack was “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
58. At least 24 people have died after gunmen attacked tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. This is the latest:

• The attack took place in Pahalgam, a picturesque town in the Himalayas, with eyewitnesses saying that gunmen were targeting tourists
• Many of those injured are believed to be in critical condition with fears that the death toll is likely to rise
• No group has claimed responsibility for the attack which has been widely condemned both domestically and internationally
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short an official trip to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi following news of the attack
• Several protests have been organised for Wednesday as India reacts with shock and anger

1. Stay with us as we bring you more of the latest updates.