It was the 22nd of April, assumed to be a normal day by the tourists making their way out to view the beautiful scenery of the “Mini Switzerland of India,” the valley of Baisaran located in Pahalgam. Around 2 PM, tourists were enjoying food in their hands, clicking pictures with their families, when suddenly the sounds of gunshots started echoing.
THE MASSACRE:
“The terrorists were around 4–5 in number,” a tourist said.
“The terrorists might have entered the fenced area of the Baisaran Valley through a shallow opening between the fences via the stairs,” predicted a media personnel after the event.
They started firing openly in the highlands of the valley after entering the area. Then, they separated the men from the women and children, asked the men about their religion, and shot all the Hindus among them. According to various sources, 26 were killed on the spot and 7 were injured. They even asked the men who claimed to be Muslim to prove it by reciting the Kalma and ordered them to roll up their trousers so the terrorists could check whether they were circumcised. The despicable behavior of the terrorists was clearly evident through these actions against the tourists. The terrorist attack took place at a time when U.S. Vice President JD Vance was visiting our country, during the ongoing U.S.-China trade wars, and when Kashmir’s tourism sector was giving a boost to the country’s GDP. This seems more like a strategic attack than a tactical one.