- April 23, 2025
Pahalgam Terrorists Checked Tourists’ Religion Before Carnage, Asked Them To Recite ‘Kalima’: Eyewitnesses – News18
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Government sources said terrorists targeted men first and asked them to recite ‘kalima’, which refers to the formal declaration of faith, before shooting them dead
Commuters undergo security checks after terrorists attacked a group of tourists at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, on April 22. (Image: PTI)
Eyewitnesses relayed shocking details of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. They told security forces that terrorists checked tourists’ religion and shot them dead, sources told News18.
In one of the deadliest terror attacks on civilians since 26/11 in Mumbai, an intelligence source told News18 that 28 people including foreign nationals were killed while several others were injured. Heavily armed gunmen in military fatigues emerged from the pine forest surrounding the Baisaran valley, which is a prime tourist location, and started firing indiscriminately.
According to government sources, one terrorist approached a couple and asked them their faith and then opened fire at them. The attackers asked the men to recite ‘kalima’, a formal declaration of faith, and when they failed to do so, they were shot dead, they said.
“The attacker targeted men first and asked them to recite ‘kalima’, which refers to the formal declaration of faith, before shooting them dead,” the sources told News18.
Follow Kashmir Pahalgam Terror Attack LIVE Updates Here
Eyewitnesses claimed that as soon as the bullets started flying, the handful of locals who earn a livelihood from tourism ran for safety, leaving the tourists as sitting ducks.
“My husband was shot in the head… he was shot for not being a Muslim,” a woman survivor told PTI over phone. She, however, did not identify herself and pleaded for help in evacuating the injured to the hospital.
The sources further said majority of those killed are said to be men. Tourists were initially unaware of what was happening as the terrorists were wearing army fatigues, they said.
HOW THE ATTACK UNFOLDED
Tourists were enjoying pony rides in the long lush green meadows of the Baisaran valley when terrorists opened fire on them. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack is “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
Eyewitnesses said two to three gunmen in military fatigues started firing indiscriminately, triggering fear and confusion among the tourists holidaying at the spot. Police sources said the attack started around 2.30 pm as terrorists surrounded a group of 40 tourists and started firing at them.
“I was with my wife when the attack happened. I spotted two gunmen, who opened fire. There was a lot of fire,” an eyewitness told News18, who was injured in the attack and was evacuated by a local resident.
Authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons. Officials said some of the injured were brought down from the meadows by local people on their ponies. Security personnel, who took time to reach the site as the road is non-motorable, have now cordoned off the area and are carrying out a massive anti-terrorist operation to hunt down the assailants, officials said.
Government sources said doctors and other hospital staff have been deputed to Pahalgam in wake of the terror attack. The CRPF and BSF have intensified their operations in J&K while restricting administrative movement. Deployments have been placed at 15 sites, they said.
The timing of the attack does not bode well as the tourist season has set in and, soon, J&K will also begin preparations for the 38-day Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to begin on July 3.
The location of the attack has utmost significance not only because it is scenic and attracts tourists in droves but also because it is a base for the Amarnath Yatra. Summer is the best time to visit the Kashmir valley, but a terror attack such as this can disrupt tourist footfall and local businesses.
- Location :
Srinagar, India, India
