Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has expressed concern over the loss of lives in an attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which claimed the lives of 26 people.
Responding to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan was saddened by the incident and extended condolences to the families of the deceased.
“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of IIOJK,” the spokesperson said.
“We extend our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish the wounded a speedy recovery.”
At least 26 people, including an Indian Navy officer, were killed and seventeen were wounded when gunmen opened fire at tourists in the occupied valley in the worst such attack in the region in nearly two decades.
Police said that the attack occurred on Tuesday in the popular destination of Pahalgam — a renowned site for tourists in summer some 90km away from Srinagar.
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The attack took place in an off-the-road meadow and the dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, according to police.
“Kashmir Resistance,” a little-known group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that over 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change”.
New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get employments and buy land in the disputed Himalayan territory. That led to a further deterioration of relations with Pakistan.
Attacks targeting tourists in the occupied territory have been rare. The last deadly incident occurred in June 2024 when at least 9 people were killed and 33 wounded after an attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.
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Reacting to the incident, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called Modi to quickly offer “full support to New Delhi to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack”.
