After bringing the troubled region of Kashmir under harsh control in recent years, India’s government justified its heavy-handed approach with one consistent message: The deadly militancy that had rocked the Himalayan territory for decades was finally in check.

That illusion was shattered on Tuesday, as militants emerged from a densely forested area to slaughter tourists who were enjoying a picnic spot in a particularly picturesque valley near the town of Pahalgam. The attack left at least 26 civilians dead and over a dozen wounded.

As officials rush to make sense of the major security lapse in what is one of the world’s most militarized zones, there is growing concern in New Delhi that the pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to respond decisively could once again raise the specter of cross-border conflict with neighboring Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have each laid claim to Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule partitioned India into two, carving out Pakistan as an independent nation. Kashmir, where Muslims are a majority, has found itself split between the two, with each country administering a part of it while laying claim to its whole.

India squarely blames Pakistan for harboring and supporting militants behind attacks like the one on Tuesday. In 2019, a militant attack that killed dozens of Indian security personnel resulted in an air battle between the two nuclear-armed nations that stopped just short of all-out war.

“The whole idea, I think, behind this attack was to sort of puncture that narrative that, you know, everything is fine,” said D.S. Hooda, a retired Indian army general who led Indian’s northern command based in Kashmir. “The government will be under tremendous pressure to react.”

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.