On April 22, 2025, a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu, and Kashmir: now a famous tourist resort, saw the killing of 26 persons including 25 Indian nationals and one from Nepal and injuries to another 17.
Kashmir Resistance or Kashmir Freedom Fighters, a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba confederation, accepted responsibility for the attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and vowed to bring the culprits to justice anywhere.
India took a number of diplomatic and tactical measures:
•While suspending the Indus Waters Treaty is a very important and traditional water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
•Cancel visas for Pakistani nationals and close the main land border.
•Advisories have come to Indian nationals in Pakistan to return home.
Pakistan refuted any involvement in the attack, calling India’s charges baseless. In retaliation, Pakistan has:
•Stopped trade with India and closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
•Suspended the visas for Indian nationals.
Condemning the attack, the USA, UK, and China have urged both countries to maintain restraint, considering it as a global threat as tensions between the two nuclear powers tighten.
Security has heightened across the Kashmir Valley with joint operations by the Army, CRPF, and J&K Police to hunt down the perpetrators.
The attack has ignited the long lost disputes with Kashmir at the center of it. It does not only mean the restrictions on movement, tourism and other economic activities, but also marks the end of calm phase of the valley. The global community shall be watching closely as both the nations chart their way through this crisis, hoping for a de-escalation of hostilities.
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