Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Pahalgam on April 23, 2025, to visit the site of the terrorist attack that killed 26 people, including two foreigners from the UAE and Nepal, and injured over 20 others.

The attack occurred on April 22 at Baisaran meadow, a tourist hotspot near Pahalgam, where heavily armed terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on a group of around 40 tourists. Shah, who had earlier landed in Srinagar on April 22 and held emergency security meetings, paid tribute to the victims by laying wreaths on their coffins and stated, "Bharat will not bend to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared".

Authorities identified the attackers as a mix of Pakistani nationals and local collaborators, with sketches released for three suspects—Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha.

Intelligence reports indicated four attackers, including two Pakistani nationals speaking Pashtun and two locals (Adil Thokkar and Asif Sheikh), with some wearing body cameras to record the assault.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team reached the site to assist the probe, while security forces launched a major operation to track the perpetrators. Shah also visited injured survivors at a Srinagar hospital and coordinated evacuation efforts, including four special flights arranged for victims to Delhi and Mumbai.

The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut short his Saudi Arabia visit and hold urgent briefings with NSA Ajit Doval and EAM S Jaishankar. Modi condemned the attack as an "evil agenda" and reiterated India’s "unshakable" resolve against terrorism.

Shah emphasised the government’s hardened counter-terrorism approach, citing a 70% reduction in civilian deaths and 81% drop in terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir over the past decade. His visit underscored the administration’s focus on zero-tolerance for terrorism and immediate response protocols during crises.

Agencies