Pahalgam is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Kashmir Valley with flowing meadows ringed by deciduous forests, and is also used as a base by trekkers, largely foreigners, to walk up to the Tulian Lake at a height of 14,000 feet. Over 1000 tourists from across India, and a few foreign tourists, were present in Pahalgam on Tuesday, with many choosing to spend their day trekking or taking pony rides in the meadows of Baisaran, located seven kms from Pahalgam. Tragedy struck around 1.30 pm when a group of terrorists gunned down a large number of tourists, leaving 28 dead and several seriously injured.

The repeated assurances given by Home Minister Amit Shah that normality had returned to Kashmir seemed to have been blown aside by these gruesome killings, leaving several questions unanswered. Pahalgam remains the base for the army because it is from here that the arduous climb up the Zojila Pass starts before the troops, ammunition and goods can be distributed to different parts of Ladakh. The army was known to have posted a small contingent of troops above the Baisaran meadow, who kept an eye on terrorist movement through these forests.

Obviously these and other security forces were removed, pointing to a grave security breach, given the sensitivity of the region and the fact that this tourist population remained unprotected in the likelihood of an attack. Pahalgam has been a regular hunting ground for terrorists, and way back in 2000, 30 persons were killed and 60 injured, followed by another attack two years later, leaving eleven dead. In 2017, eight pilgrims returning from Amarnath were killed, while just last year, a tourist couple was injured in a case of firing in this area. As far back as mid-1995, six foreign tourists were abducted from here, and while the Norwegian was killed, the others were never found.

The security apparatus in the UT were taken completely unawares, and once the killings had taken place, it was left to local shopkeepers and pony owners to ferry the injured and bleeding to Pahalgam, from where they were taken to nearby hospitals. Home Minister rushed to Srinagar, where he held several........

© Free Press Journal