Pahalgam terror attack: Flashback of Pulwama plays back as terrorists paint serene meadow red; PM likely to chair CCS meet

Srinagar: A distraught wife with her husband lying in a pool of blood. A son pleaded with terrorists to kill him and his mother after his father was gunned down.

It was a day of blood and gore at Pahalgam meadows, which once reverberated with Bollywood songs. Terror revisited Kashmir when heavily armed terrorists shot dead 27 civilians, mostly tourists, in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam.

Baisaran, about 6 kilometres from Pahalgam, is an expansive meadow dubbed ‘mini Switzerland’ ringed by dense pine forests and mountains, and a favourite with visitors from across the country and the world. Baisaran, a campsite for trekkers, is accessible from Pahalgam either on foot or on horseback. It offers a panoramic view of Pahalgam town and the Lidder valley.

Witnesses said that the terrorists appeared in the meadow around 3 pm on Tuesday and resorted to indiscriminate firing at civilians milling around eateries, taking pony rides, or just picnicking.

Videos that went viral on social media painted a chilling picture of gunfire breaking the calm of a regular afternoon, with scores of people enjoying their day out. Cries for help were heard as lifeless bodies lay motionless in pools of blood.

With Baisaran accessible only on foot or horse, choppers were deployed to evacuate the injured. The families of those killed and injured were taken to the government-owned Pahalgam Club under tight security.

The entire district administration and police force were mobilised and ambulances pressed into service. Some of the injured were brought down from the meadow by local people on their ponies. Army, CRPF, and local police rushed to Baisaran after news came in of gunshots being heard, officials said.

A massive anti-terrorist operation has been launched to hunt down the assailants, and security forces have fanned out in all directions, they said.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration set up 24/7 emergency control rooms in Anantnag and Srinagar.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar to review the security situation. Sources said that the Chief Minister briefed the Union Home Minister about the Pahalgam attack at the airport itself.

Shah drove straight to the Raj Bhavan, where he will chair a high-level security meet.

The security review meeting, sources said, will be attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary, Atal Duloo, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Director IB, ADGP CID, IGP CRPF, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, and other top officials. The Union Home Minister will visit the terror attack site at Baisaran in Pahalgam on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his Saudi Arabia visit and returned home. He is scheduled to chair the CCS meeting today

Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Suchendra Kumar also arrived in Srinagar to review the security situation. They said the Army Commander will be briefed by local formation commanders on the present security situation in Kashmir. He was in New Delhi for a security conference.

It may be recalled that on February 14, 2019, 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack in south Kashmir’s Pulwama area. Since then, there have been other terror attacks, but none as serious. More than 30 people were killed in an attack on the Amarnath base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

A year later, 13 people died in a strike on Amarnath pilgrims at Sheshnag, while 11 people were killed in another attack in 2002 in the Pahalgam area.

In March 2000, when then US president Bill Clinton was visiting India, terrorists killed 35 Sikhs in Chhattisinghpora in south Kashmir in March 2000.

Meanwhile, traders and parties cutting across political divide have called for Jammu and Kashmir bandh against the massacre.