Indian authorities have named three suspected terrorists in connection with the brutal April 22 attack on tourists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, which claimed 26 lives. According to notices released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on April 24, two of the suspects are Pakistani nationals. Rewards have been announced for any information leading to their arrest.
The massacre has sent shockwaves through India, particularly as the victims were civilians—men separated from a group of tourists and executed in cold blood. In a deeply emotional moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paused ahead of a public rally in Bihar to lead the crowd in silent prayer for the victims. “They have made the mistake of attacking the soul of India,” he declared. “We will pursue them to the ends of the earth… they will be punished beyond their imagination.”
India’s outrage has not only been directed at the attackers but also at what it views as Pakistan’s continued sheltering of extremist elements. New Delhi responded with strong diplomatic measures, including suspending a crucial water-sharing agreement—known as the Indus Waters Treaty—which had endured through wars and decades of strained relations.
In response, Pakistan retaliated with sweeping restrictions, closing its airspace to Indian-operated airlines, halting bilateral and third-party trade, and suspending special South Asian visas for Indian nationals. Islamabad also warned that it would hold all bilateral agreements, including the 1972 Simla Accord, in abeyance.
In an unusually aggressive statement, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office declared that any effort by India to interfere with its water supply would be treated as an “act of war.”
The Indus Waters Treaty is vital to Pakistan’s agricultural and hydropower systems, given its dependence on downstream river flow from India. Despite the gravity of its own announcement, Pakistan did not address the origins or perpetrators of the attack that triggered the diplomatic escalation.
Meanwhile, tensions spilled into the streets of New Delhi as protesters gathered outside the Pakistani embassy, chanting slogans and demanding justice for the victims. Security was heightened as demonstrators clashed with police barricades.
This attack has once again spotlighted the long-standing and painful issue of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, where a decades-long insurgency—backed, as India has repeatedly said, by Pakistani support—has taken tens of thousands of lives since 1989. Although the region had recently seen a surge in tourism and relative peace, the latest bloodshed has shattered that fragile calm.
For many in India, the killing of unarmed civilians—men on a peaceful visit to one of the country’s most scenic regions—has struck a deep nerve. The Indian government’s response, firm and resolute, reflects growing frustration at what it sees as impunity for cross-border militancy and a lack of accountability from Pakistan.
As both nations dig in, diplomatic observers warn that relations between India and Pakistan have reached one of their lowest points in recent years. And for the families of the slain tourists, the political fallout is little comfort for their irreplaceable loss. (with Reuters and ANI inputs)
@India-West News Desk (USA)
