By Ayaan Saroori

Until the afternoon of 22 April, Pahalgam’s meadows buzzed with the laughter of tourists. By evening, they were stained with blood.

Gunmen, faces hidden and motives unclear, fired indiscriminately at a group of visitors, killing a local youth and 25 others. The town known as Kashmir’s “valley of shepherds” became, for a few hours, a valley of shock.

The attack was swift, ruthless, and devastating. Videos from the scene captured the stunned faces of victims, their plans for a peaceful holiday shattered beyond repair. Ambulances, too few and too late, struggled to navigate the narrow roads. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming.

In the days that followed, grief swept across Jammu and Kashmir. Shops shuttered, protests erupted, and every political and religious group, often bitterly divided, united in condemning the violence. For a rare moment, Kashmir’s fractured voices spoke as one, demanding justice.

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