1 year of Pahalgam attack: How LeT terrorists wreaked havoc in Kashmir

Remembering the lives lost last year, PM Modi on Wednesday reaffirmed India's commitment to fight terrorism and said India will never bow to any form of terror

A rather pleasant morning of April 22, 2025, turned gloomy when a handful of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists descended on Kashmir's Pahalgam and killed 26 people, making it one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent memory.

 

Remembering the lives lost last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reaffirmed India’s commitment to fight terrorism, writing on X.com, “As a nation, we stand united in grief and resolve. India will never bow to any form of terror. The heinous designs of terrorists will never succeed.”

 

What happened on April 22, 2025 in Kashmir?

 

A tourism hotspot, Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadows came under fire last year when terrorists killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and 1 ponywallah. Terrorists confirmed the religious identity of the people and singled out Hindu tourists and killed them. This modus operandi of the terrorists sent shockwaves across the nation.

 

 

A heartwrenching image quickly went viral on the internet, where a woman was seen sitting next to the corpse of her husband, who was shot dead by the LeT terrorists. The image soon became the symbol of the gruesome act.

 

Among the victims was Lt Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer who was on a honeymoon with his wife in Pahalgam when terrorists shot him at point-blank range. Manjunath Rao, a realtor from Shivamogga in Karnataka,  was also shot dead in front of his wife Pallavi and their son during the attack.

 

Bharath Bushan, a 41-year-old IT professional from Bengaluru, also fell victim to bullets while his wife and their then three-year-old son survived the attack.

 

Local ponywallah Syed Adil Hussain Shah was also killed by the terrorists while trying to save tourists.

 

The attack led to an exodus of tourists from Jammu and Kashmir, and around 50 tourist spots were shut down by authorities.

 

How did India respond?

 

The terror attack prompted a strong response against Pakistan from India. Two weeks after the attack, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a military campaign to neutralise terror bases in Pakistan. The military operation, which was launched on May 6, lasted four days and targeted nine terror bases, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, killing over 100 terrorists and destroying 11 air bases. Indian officials described Operation SIndoor as limited and precise, focused solely on terror networks while avoiding unnecessary escalation.

 

Moreover, India also placed the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 in abeyance, closed the Wagah-Attari border, cancelled the SAARC visa scheme for Pakistan, declared Pakistani military diplomats persona non grata, and brought down the overall strength of the High Commissions to 30 from 55.

 

India also banned social media profiles of Pakistani celebrities, their music and other forms of content.

 

Pakistan retaliated against the military operation by multiple ceasefire violations along the LoC.

 

A year since the gruesome attack, the state, including Pahalgam, are buzzing with tourists again, with several new measures in place to ensure tourist safety. But families of victims are still coming to grips with their loss.