PAHALGAM, India — Suspected militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the picturesque town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding eight others in the region’s deadliest civilian attack in nearly a year, a senior police official told Reuters.
The attack occurred in the early evening hours near the popular tourist town nestled in the southern Anantnag district. The victims, who were visiting the region during peak summer travel, were caught in a sudden burst of gunfire, officials said. The wounded were quickly transported to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to brief the media, a police source confirmed the casualties but noted that the final death toll may rise.
“This is a brutal act of terror targeting innocent civilians,” said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The scale of this attack is far greater than anything we’ve seen against civilians in recent years.”
A little-known militant group calling itself the “Kashmir Resistance” claimed responsibility for the shooting in a post on social media. The group accused the Indian government of orchestrating a demographic shift in the Muslim-majority territory by settling thousands of outsiders.
“Over 85,000 non-local settlers have been given domicile rights,” the message claimed, warning that future violence would target those attempting to “illegally change the identity of Kashmir.”
The authenticity of the post could not be independently verified by Reuters, and Indian authorities have not commented on the group’s claim.
Earlier this month, the Jammu and Kashmir administration told lawmakers that nearly 84,000 non-local residents had been granted domicile status in the last two years, a move that enables them to purchase property and apply for government jobs in the region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack and promised swift action against those responsible.
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice. They will not be spared!” Modi wrote on X. “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and will only grow stronger.”
Security forces have launched a manhunt in the surrounding forests and valleys near Pahalgam, an area popular with Indian and foreign tourists alike for its hiking trails and scenic beauty.
Tuesday’s ambush is the most severe attack targeting civilians since June of last year, when a militant assault caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to crash into a gorge, killing nine people and injuring 33 others.
Although violent attacks in Kashmir have declined in frequency over the past decade, recent months have seen a spike in militant activity, particularly in areas previously regarded as secure. The uptick has coincided with heightened tensions between India and Pakistan and renewed local resistance to India’s controversial 2019 decision to revoke the region’s autonomy.
That move allowed New Delhi to reorganize the former state into two federally governed territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—and extended property and employment rights to non-residents. Critics of the policy say it is part of a broader effort to dilute the region’s Muslim majority and shift its cultural landscape.
The dispute over Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan claim in full, has fueled decades of armed conflict and three full-scale wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan continues to reject India’s sovereignty over the region, and diplomatic relations between the two countries remain strained.
Indian security analysts noted the timing of the latest attack, which occurred just one day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day visit to India. While Vance’s visit was described as primarily personal, past militant attacks in Kashmir have often coincided with the visits of high-profile international dignitaries—moves seen as attempts to draw global attention to the unresolved conflict.
As of late Tuesday, no new travel advisories had been issued, but security has been heightened across the Kashmir Valley, particularly in areas frequented by tourists.
