Two Weeks Since Pahalgam Tragedy, Nervous Anticipation In Kashmir As Valley Waits For Justice

News18

05-05-2025

Last Updated:
As one moves from Tanmarg to Gulmarg, the joint patrolling by CRPF, police and BSF, the mobile bunkers, check points, and bullet-proof vehicles are all evidence of heightened alert
Thirteen days since the Pahalgam attack, the sense of uncertainty in the Valley is unmistakable. Convoys of security forces are a regular affair on the highways, but in the aftermath of the Pahalgam tragedy, across Uri, Baramulla, and Kupwara, each new vehicle and new movement of men in uniform is being looked at with a sense of anticipation and nervousness.
In schools of Uri along the LoC and Arnia along the International Border, students are being put through emergency drills to teach them how to be safe in case of military action. Similar drills are being held in most schools in villages on the India-Pakistan border or the LoC. The repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan since April 25 have kept the border population on its toes. Community bunkers have been readied, and the SoP to take cover in case of shelling has been reiterated—especially to the young, for whom this kind of tension is a new phenomenon.
A long-range patrol of the Border Security Force (BSF) in snow-capped areas close to the Line of Control is on the lookout for activities on the other side. Fences in these parts are always a casualty to avalanches and heavy snowfall. The white snow carpet is exploited by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the task for these patrolling personnel is to keep an eye on the infiltration routes that have been identified. The line demarcating a terrorist from a Pakistani Army regular has been blurred even further, with intelligence inputs suggesting that Hashim Musa, the primary suspect of Pahalgam attack, is a Pakistan-trained para commando.
The other challenge is tourism.
Tourism is down by almost 90 per cent in the Valley. Pahalgam is seeing barely any footfall, with Chandanwari, Aru and Betab Valley shut for tourists. Baisaran, the other tourism magnet, is only seeing visits by National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials. The entire tourism sector here is resigned to its fate. But, in Sonmarg, the pony handlers are at pains to tell whoever is willing to listen that 'Kashmir is safe".
Prod them a bit longer and details of security being ramped up start flowing. 'We have been asked to keep our eyes and ears open in our villages and also when we go up the Thajwas Glacier with tourists," Imtiyaz, a pony operator, tells CNN-News18. Nawaz, a tourist guide, adds: 'In the higher stretches, the Army has increased its presence. J&K Tourist Police is also stationed to protect tourists. CRPF and J&K Police are all deployed ever since the Pahalgam attack happened."
There is also a reason why combing operations are on from Pahalgam in South Kashmir to Sonmarg in the Centre and Gulmarg in the North. Across the Sonmarg Tunnel is Gagangir, where six labourers and a local doctor were gunned down in a construction camp last year.
'Just like Pahalgam, they had mostly targeted non-locals. They chose a place where security took time to arrive, giving them enough time to escape," a security guard who was on duty on the day of the attack told CNN-News18.
Junaid Bhatt, one of the terrorists involved, was caught on camera during the attack. Junaid was a local from Gagangir and was shot dead four months later in North Kashmir's Dachigam forest. His phone yielded photos of Hashim Musa, Ali Bhai and Adil Thokar—the three men identified as Pahalgam terror suspects. Investigations, like those in the Sonmarg tunnel attack, have established that terrorists are moving around in the Valley and not sticking to one area. This is why search operations to trace the Pahalgam attackers are spread over 10 districts in the Valley as well as across Peer Panjal.
As you move from Tanmarg to Gulmarg, the joint patrolling by CRPF, police and BSF, the mobile bunkers, check points, and bullet-proof vehicles are all evidence of heightened alert. Drones keep an eye as a handful of tourists plays with snow in the second phase of the Gondola Ride.
A two-pronged approach is evident—bring the terrorist to justice and take action against their masters sitting in Pakistan. However, on the eve of the 13th day rituals for the victims of Pahalgam, their families as well as Indians are still wondering about the country's next move.
First Published:
May 05, 2025, 11:27 IST