SRINAGAR: The Resistance Front (TRF), widely identified by Indian authorities as a proxy group for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for a brutal terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region on Tuesday that left 28 people dead.
The attack, targeting tourists in the scenic Baisaran Valley, marks the deadliest assault on civilians in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. Gunmen reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on visitors enjoying the popular meadow, often called “mini Switzerland,” located about six kilometers from Pahalgam town. According to senior officials, the victims included tourists, among them foreign nationals, as well as local residents. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as attackers targeted people picnicking, riding ponies, or frequenting local stalls.
In a statement circulated online, the TRF claimed the attack, attempting to justify the violence by linking it to the issuance of domicile certificates to non-locals in the region. “More than 85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals… These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then being to act as if they own the land,” the TRF statement read, adding that “violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally.”
The TRF emerged in 2019, following India’s revocation of Article 370, and is believed by intelligence agencies to be an operational front for LeT – the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks linked to Hafiz Saeed. India banned the TRF as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in January 2023. Security officials state the group actively recruits youth online, facilitates infiltration across the border, and smuggles weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into J&K.
Key TRF figure Sheikh Sajjad Gul has also been designated a terrorist under the UAPA, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) offering a bounty for information leading to his capture. Indian officials maintain that the TRF receives support from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, to perpetuate instability in the Union Territory.
Responding to the attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar late Tuesday evening. He proceeded directly to Raj Bhavan to chair a high-level security meeting with top officials from the police, army, and intelligence agencies to review the security situation in the valley. Mr. Shah is also expected to visit the site of the attack in Pahalgam on Wednesday.
The Baisaran Valley attack underscores the persistent threat of terrorism in the region, particularly targeting civilians in attempts to disrupt peace and tourism, a vital part of the local economy.