The Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which triggered worldwide condemnation, brought the operation of a long-active terror module working in Jammu and Kashmir to the forefront and even revealed the link of the 26/11 Mumbai attack and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed to the incident.
The Pahalgam attack is the deadliest witnessed by the Valley since the Indian government scrapped Article 370 in 2019 after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power for the second term.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir was acceded to India through the instrument of accession in 1947, under which special status was granted by New Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir, under Article 370.
Article 370 had allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.
The Pahalgam attack was carried out by a hardened group named The Resistance Front (TRF) affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror organisation, comprising mostly foreign terrorists, with support from local militants, overground workers from the Valley and under the control of 26/11 attacks mastermind and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed, NDTV reported.
The module is reportedly controlled directly by Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed and his deputy Saifullah, both believed to be operating from Pakistan, the Indian news channel reported.
NDTV reported that Indian intelligence agencies maintain that the module receives not only ideological but also logistical and tactical guidance from Pakistan’s military and its intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to reports, the group is not only composed of foreign terrorists but also receives support from several locals and overground workers from Kashmir.
Pahalgam Attack
The terror attack, which has drawn widespread condemnation from world leaders, has led India and its arch-rival Pakistan to a fresh confrontation, a major one since the Pulwama terror attack which was backed by Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2019.
At least 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed by terrorists on Tuesday afternoon.
The Modi government has taken tit-for-tat diplomatic steps against Pakistan, suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari-Wagah border with an immediate effect, cancelling Pakistani visas under SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, asking the Pakistani advisors to leave India within a week and reducing the overall strength of High Commissions to 30 from the existing 55 effective from May 1, 2025.
Modi Promises Strong Retaliation
Promising a strong retaliation against Pakistan over one of the worst terror attacks that took place in the popular tourist spot in peak season of tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the terrorists and their backers will pay unimaginable costs for the attack on innocent tourists.
Addressing a rally in Bihar’s Madhubani, Modi said: “From the soil of Bihar I tell the whole world that India will identify them and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the end of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
