‘My husband was shot in head’, says woman survivor of terrorist attack on tourists in J&K’s Pahalgam

Pahalgam Terror Attack: A woman survivor from the Pahalgam terror attack shared how her husband was shot along with seven other people who were injured on Tuesday, April 22, reported the news agency PTI. 

“My husband was shot in the head while seven others were also injured in the attack,” the woman survivor told the news agency over the phone.

Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday, April 22, reportedly struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam, Southern Kashmir, killing several people and injuring more than 20 tourists.  

The attack took place around 3 pm when terrorists came down from the mountains in Baisaran valley and started firing at the tourists. This region is very popular among tourists who consider the place to be the ‘mini Switzerland’ of India because of the green meadows.

Rapid medical care

The authorities deployed a helicopter into service for the evacuation of the injured people, the local officials told the news agency. The local people also brought down some of the injured people on their ponies.

A doctor at the Pahalgam hospital acknowledged that 12 injured tourists were admitted, and their condition was stable. 

As per the initial reports, the terrorists emerged from the dense pine forest which surrounds the Baisaran region.

TRF claims responsibility

The Kashmir police said that the firing shots were heard in the upper meadows of Pahalgam tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

As per the local police, the attack happened at 2:30 pm and The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, has claimed responsibility for the attack. After the incident, the security has been beefed up in Pahalgam and forces have rushed to cordon off the area.

Women and elderly people were among those whom the terrorists attacked.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the death toll is still being ascertained.

“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” he said on his social media post on X.

The attack comes amid offline registration for the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on April 15. The Amarnath Yatra, a 38-day pilgrimage, is scheduled to begin on July 3.

The journey is carried out by two routes: the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district.