On April 22, a hail of bullets spilt blood in the bustling Baisaran meadow in South Kashmir바카라s Anantnag district. When the sound of gunshots rang out, terrified people바카라many of them tourists바카라scurried down the nearly three-kilometre track that leads from Baisaran to the Pahalgam market. The next day, 26 coffins had to be readied. In one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, 24 tourists, one Nepali citizen, and a Kashmiri pony ride operator바카라who tried to save a tourist바카라were killed. Several others were injured. For the first time in over three decades, Kashmir's often fragmented political and civil voices united to condemn the attack.
Outlook바카라s next issue looks at what comes after the condemnation. The attack in Pahalgam has reopened old wounds 바카라 about security, justice, and the illusion of peace in the world바카라s most militarised region.
The now-infamous scenic spot, which reportedly receives 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day, did not have any security personnel guarding it. The security agencies initially held The Resistance Front (TRF)바카라an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)바카라responsible for the attack, but TRF later denied any role in it. Outlook바카라s foreign editor Seema Guha writes that it is clear that India will retaliate, but a war between the nuclear-armed neighbours is a nightmare not just for India and Pakistan but for the entire region.
Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq writes that it is imperative to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice, but innocent Kashmiris must not be made to suffer in the process. Justice must not come at the cost of fairness and due process of law. Anuradha Bhasin, editor of The Kashmir Times, writes that the question is not what Kashmiris should be doing. The question should be what can and ought to be done for Kashmiris who bear the worst brunt of terrorism, counterinsurgency and war.
Author Siddhartha Gigoo, a Kashmiri Pandit, writes that he dreams of writing about beauty and happiness and love once again, as he did when he was growing up in Kashmir in the 80s. 바카라When all that our parents and grandparents had dreamt of was a life of beauty and joy in our beloved Kashmir. Will that day ever come?바카라
In Kashmir, there are more questions than answers. Is Kashmir truly 바카라normal바카라?바카라 Has the government endangered tourists by encouraging them to visit Kashmir? Has the promise of safety raced ahead of the reality on the ground? Will Indians enjoy their holidays once again in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and on Dal Lake?
Amid the questions, the emotional salutes, and promises of justice, the families of those killed in Pahalgam are still struggling to make sense of an unforeseen tragedy. Our reporters went to some of the families바카라to listen, to witness.
Read these stories and more in the latest issue of Outlook's Kashmir Terror Attack.
