Gunmen on Tuesday opened fire on sightseers in a popular travel destination in the mountainous destination of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. At least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national were killed in the massacre, which unfolded in a valley only accessible by foot or on horseback.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the gunmen approached, opening fire on tourists from close range. Some recalled how the men were singled out and shot at. Other survivors speaking to local media said the gunmen accused some of the victims of supporting Prime Minister Modi.
Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government revoked Muslim-majority Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy in 2019, bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi, sparking widespread protests. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack on social media, voicing discontent at “outsiders” who settled in the region and caused a “demographic change.” It did not provide evidence and CNN cannot independently verify its claim.
TRF is a relatively new militant outfit about which little is known. The group declared its existence in 2019 through the encrypted messaging app Telegram, after claiming responsibility for a grenade attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s largest city of Srinagar, according to research by the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
India has classified TRF as a “terrorist organization” and linked it to the outlawed Islamist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which was behind the deadly Mumbai attacks in 2008 and has a much higher profile. Kashmir police on Thursday published notices naming three suspects allegedly involved in the attack. Two of the three are Pakistani nationals, according to the notices. They did not say how the men were identified.
India has not publicly blamed any group for the attack but has justified its retaliatory moves as a response to Pakistan’s alleged “support for cross-border terrorism.” New Delhi has closed a key border crossing and further restricted already limited visas for Pakistani citizens. It also expelled military, naval and air advisors from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.
It also suspended its role in the Indus Water Treaty, an important water-sharing pact between India and Pakistan that has been in force since 1960 and is regarded as a rare diplomatic success story between the two fractious neighbors. The enormous Indus River system, which supports hundreds of millions of livelihoods across Pakistan and northern India, originates in Tibet, flowing through China and Indian-controlled Kashmir before reaching Pakistan. The vast volume of water is a vital resource for both countries, and the treaty governs how it is shared.
A Pakistan government statement said that that any attempt to stop or divert water belonging to Pakistan would be considered an act of war. Following India’s move, on Thursday Pakistan said it was suspending trade with India, closing its airspace and expelling Indian diplomats, calling India’s measures “unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible and devoid of legal merit.”
“India has time and again played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan’s involvement [in Pahalgam], please share it with us and the world,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.
Source: Here