Gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian Kashmir, at least 24 dead

AT LEAST 24 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday when gunmen opened fire on tourists, a senior police officer told AFP. Authorities said it was the worst attack on civilians in years.

The shooting took place in Pahalgam, a popular summer tourist destination around 90 kilometres from Srinagar. A senior police officer in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll.

Prime minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, calling it a "heinous act" and said those responsible "will be brought to justice".

A tour guide at the scene told AFP he helped evacuate some of the wounded on horseback. "I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead," said Waheed, who gave only one name.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Armed groups in the Muslim-majority region have been waging an insurgency since 1989, demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan claim the region in full but control different parts.

The incident came a day after Modi met US vice president JD Vance, who is on a four-day visit to India.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah described the shooting as a major civilian attack. "The attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years," he said. "This attack on our visitors is an abomination. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt."

India's interior minister Amit Shah said he would visit the site and promised a strong response. "Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences," Shah said.

Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, also condemned the shooting. "I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically killed five and injured several," she said.

Doctors at a hospital in Anantnag said they had treated several wounded, including two with gunshot wounds and one with a neck injury.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress party, called the killings "heartbreaking". He said, "The whole country is united against terrorism," and urged the federal government to "take accountability".

Modi said the attack would not deter the country’s efforts against terrorism. "Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger," he said.

Kashmir has been promoted as a tourist destination in recent years, with 3.5 million tourists visiting the region in 2024, mostly from within India. The government has encouraged both winter and summer tourism.

In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under heavy security. Resorts are being developed in the region, including near the de facto border with Pakistan.

India regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting armed groups behind attacks in Kashmir. Pakistan denies this and says it supports the right of Kashmiris to self-determination.

In February 2019, an attack in Pulwama killed 40 security personnel when a car filled with explosives hit a convoy. The deadliest attack on civilians in recent years was in March 2000, when 36 Indian civilians were killed.

(With inputs from AFP)