India's New Delhi TV said on the 23rd that a shooting incident against tourists occurred in Pahargam town in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the 22nd, killing at least 26 people and injuring many. Most of the dead were tourists, including a man from Nepal. It is reported that this is the most serious attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir since the Pulwama attack in 2019.

  According to the Times of India, the attack occurred in the town of Pahalgam, which is beautifully landscaped and known as "Little Switzerland". It was once an important location for Bollywood movies in the 1980s. At around 3 pm on the 22nd, the gunman suddenly rushed out of the woods on the local mountain and shot tourists at close range at the crowd. New Delhi TV said tourists were having a picnic at the time of the attack. After gunfire, they fled around in search of cover, but because the area was empty and open, they had no place to hide. A survivor named Palawi said the gunman had mainly attacked male Hindus.

  New Delhi TV said that after the attack, the gunmen fled the scene, and the capital New Delhi strengthened security inspections, especially for tourist attractions and entry and exit checkpoints, and controlled travel in sensitive areas. Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir said that they had joined forces with local police to hunt down gunmen and local security personnel increased their vigilance.

  On April 22, shootings against tourists occurred in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and security personnel strengthened their vigilance. (Visual China)

  AFP said that after the attack, Indian Prime Minister Modi interrupted his Saudi trip to return home, condemning the "heuristic behavior", promising to "bring the culprit to justice" and directing the government to provide assistance to the families of the victims.

  The British Economist reported that Indian police blamed the attack on militants against Indian rule, and a group called the "Resistance Front" (TRF) issued a statement on social platforms claiming responsibility for the attack. Indian media said that TRF's statement has not been confirmed by the Indian government.

  According to Reuters, TRF uses the name "Kashmir Rebel" on social media and online forums. The TRF said the reason for the attack was against the Indian government's policy of "introducing outsiders" in the local area, and India allowed more than 85,000 settlers to influx, causing changes in the local population structure.

  According to reports, violent conflicts in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region have intensified in the past 10 years. Many local people have long been dissatisfied with the Indian central government, and the Indian government has continuously strengthened its control over the local area. The planned population migration since 2019 has become one of the reasons why the Kashmir Rebel Army launched an attack with dissatisfaction.

  Similar to the Pulwama attack in 2019, after the attack in Pahargam town, several Indian media targeted Pakistan. The Times of India said that the attack occurred when Modi visited Saudi Arabia, Vance visited India and Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Munier re-mentioned Kashmir in his recent speech. India Today said that the attack seemed to have been carefully planned, and the timing was chosen as the time when the security situation in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region has improved and the tourism industry has flourished in recent years. This is an act that undermines the local tourism industry and attracts global attention.

  Pakistani Defense Minister Asif refuted the accusations of Indian media in an interview with Pakistani media on the 23rd, saying that Pakistan has nothing to do with the attack and that the violence is a "local incident."

  The Economist said the attack was a blow to the Indian government's claim that the region was already stable and could trigger another military confrontation between India and Pakistan. The New York Times said the illusion of Indian-controlled Kashmir was broken, and as Indian officials were eager to identify major security loopholes in one of the most militarized regions in the world, people were worried that the incident might trigger the risk of a conflict in India and Pakistan again. The 2019 attacks led to air wars in India and Pakistan, and even a full-scale war almost broke out.

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]