Pahalgam Terror Attack | How Kashmir's Reaction Marked a Shift

The news of Wani바카라�s death triggered protests across the Valley. Several installations of security forces were reportedly attacked and protesters were injured in clashes. Fearing more violence, the state government imposed curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar, Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Sopore, Kupwara and Kulgam. Internet services were snapped across the Valley.

Kashmir came to a standstill.

Pahalgam Wrought a Change in Narrative

Fast forward to 2025, Kashmir shuts again, spontaneously, without any prompts from political or social organisations. On April 22, in a matter of hours, Kashmir Valley바카라�a buzzing tourist hotspot바카라�turned silent. People were stunned after the Pahalgam terror attack. As tourists started packing and leaving, frantically looking for the first flight or train back home, something was gradually shifting in the Valley. The change in narrative unfolded over the next few days.

The terror attack that killed 26, brought people together on a common platform. Kashmiris and politicians cutting across political lines were speaking the same language바카라�the language of condemnation. For the first time in 35 years, that the entire Valley reacted furiously and openly to an act of terror. For the people of Kashmir, known for their hospitality, the massacre was devastating. Kashmir reacted with rage to the brutality of the attack on its guests.

Schools and business establishments shut down, and traffic went off the roads. All one could see was citizens from Anantnag to Kupwara, Srinagar to Budgam hitting the streets to protest. Candle marches, street protests and sit-ins바카라�all reverberated with calls for peace and accountability. The next morning, the newspapers published their first page in black with editorials and headlines wanting 바카라�heads to roll바카라�.

Twenty-five-year-old Sheikh Haroon from Zadibal in Srinagar joined a group of people at Dal Lake to protest the killings. The group included artisans, weavers, shawl makers, wood carvers, papier-mâché artists, shikara pliers and houseboat owners, all directly related to the tourism industry.  바카라�We have come to express our solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones. We are shocked beyond words. The perpetrators need to be found and hanged in the open,바카라� he says.

Those gathered called it an assault on humanity. 바카라�The Quran says killing one innocent is like killing humanity. Tourists are our guests; this should not have happened on our watch. This act is making all of us hang our heads in shame,바카라� says Sajad Ahmad, an electronics businessman who also joined the group.

Ajay Modi, a tour operator from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, who was also protesting alongside the locals, expressed his firm faith in the goodness of the people of Kashmir and hoped people in the rest of the country could see how 바카라�Kashmir has reacted to the killings바카라�.

The protests, experts say, mark a shift in the mindset and an open denouncement of any social sanction of violence.

Changed political narrative

Besides the social narrative, the situation has also changed the political narrative in the Valley. Politicians, cutting across political ideologies, came out to express their anguish. The cries for solidarity came from the pulpits of Srinagar바카라�s Jama Masjid, which is often closed by authorities for fear of anti-government protests.

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq asked the faithful who had gathered for Friday prayers to observe a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for the slain. Mirwaiz condemned the massacre as an 바카라�act of terror바카라�; no justifications followed, and neither did whataboutery.

바카라�The deep pain and outrage that this horrific incident has caused transcends all political affiliations and labels. As a sufferer of violence myself, I have always stood for the sanctity of human life and against violence targeting innocents,바카라� he says, referring to the killing of his father, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, by unknown assailants in the 1990s. Mirwaiz said it was every conscientious person바카라�s duty to speak out clearly and unequivocally, as the people of Kashmir have done together.

Mainstream politicians across party lines are talking in one voice, condemning the act for the first time since the new government came into power.

National Conference (NC) chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq called the incident a 바카라�tragedy for humanity바카라�. He emphasised the need for national unity in the face of such violence. 바카라�We stand with the country and with the families who have lost their loved ones,바카라� he says.

While Sadiq and his party colleague and transport minister Satish Sharma led a candlelight march to Dal Lake in Srinagar, the NC also took out a protest in Lal Chowk led by the Chief Minister바카라�s political advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, joined by senior members of her party, also led a protest march to Lal Chowk, holding a placard that read: 바카라�This is an attack on all of us바카라�. 

The NC-led government introduced a resolution condemning the attack that was unanimously passed. At the request of the Cabinet, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha summoned a one-day Special Session of the Legislative Assembly on April 28 to discuss the Pahalgam terror. Delivering his first speech in the House since the attack, Abdullah admitted he failed in his duty to ensure the safe return of tourists and acknowledged feeling helpless. He added: 바카라�The security in Jammu and Kashmir is not the responsibility of the elected government, but I will not use this opportunity (terror attack) to seek statehood. How can I push for statehood using the Pahalgam terror attack?바카라� This comes after Abdullah had earlier expressed optimism on statehood following talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

This was a sharp contrast to the criticism the NC faced after the 바카라�guarded resolution on the restoration of special status바카라� in 2024. Kashmir-based political parties like the PDP had criticised the Omar Abdullah-led government for 바카라�avoiding words like Article 370, 35A, and rejection of August 5, 2019, moves by the Centre바카라�. The opposition parties were also critical of the NC for not taking a strong stand on the Waqf Act. 바카라�What Article 370, Waqf Bill couldn바카라�t do, the massacre has done,바카라� says a politician.

Most political parties in Kashmir have criticised the Centre for not honouring the commitment to restoring statehood.

The political parties are now guarded in their criticism of the central government. 바카라�There will be a time when we will do politics. Today is not that day. We want to stand in support of the people who have lost their loved ones,바카라� NC chief spokesman Sadiq said. Another senior leader from the PDP, who didn바카라�t want to be named, echoed the same sentiment. 바카라�It바카라�s a sad situation. Something so ghastly has happened. We are all on the defensive and don바카라�t want to be seen taking political mileage out of it,바카라� he says.

The chief minister hit out at Pakistan for its 바카라�neutral바카라� probe comment into the Pahalgam terror attack. 바카라�First, they did not even recognise that something had happened in Pahalgam. First, they said that India was behind it. For the people who made allegations against us in the first place, it is difficult to say anything about it now. I don바카라�t want to give much importance to their statements,바카라� Abdullah said.

Abdullah has not raised the issue of security lapses after reports surfaced that Baisaran Valley, where the incident took place, was not secured. After a large number of cancellations by tourists, Abdullah, however, appealed to the people of India 바카라�not to leave Kashmir during these times as it may make our enemies win바카라�.

Politicians across party lines have, however, unequivocally appealed that 바카라�Kashmiris should not be treated like enemies바카라�.  Mehbooba Mufti insisted on an inclusive approach to bridge the gap between Kashmir and the rest of India, highlighting Kashmir바카라�s resilience in the face of ongoing hostilities. 바카라�Kashmir is a place everyone loves and would love to come back. As far as people listening to me in Delhi or the rest of the country, I want to say for the first time Kashmiris have taken an open stand, and it needs to be reciprocated by Delhi. As far as security is concerned, you deal with security, but you need to have a different attitude for Kashmiris who stood with you at this critical juncture,바카라� she says.

The Kashmiri people and its leadership have hailed the 바카라�immediate and brave response바카라� of the local Kashmiris, like porters and ponywallas who, without formal rescue teams, stepped in and became the first responders during the crisis. Eyewitness accounts mention how the locals helped save the injured and evacuate the victims from the Baisaran massacre.

Thirty-year-old Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who lost his life while trying to snatch a gun from one of the terrorists, has become the face of 바카라�humanity and hospitality바카라�.

바카라�The people of Kashmir, cutting across political affiliations for the first time, have shown complete solidarity and genuine empathy with the victims. I have not seen this spontaneous shutdown anytime since I started covering the conflict in Kashmir in 1988,바카라� says Arun Joshi, a senior journalist.

바카라�Kashmir바카라�s response conveys a message to the entire nation that Kashmir stands for humanity, hospitality, and our love for our guests. Secondly, we can sacrifice our lives for the lives of our guests, and that바카라�s what Adil Shah has done. He sacrificed himself while trying to save tourists,바카라� he adds.

Opposition to demolitions

The Kashmir leadership, however, is at a crossroads due to the growing opposition to the ongoing demolition drive of houses of active militants. So far, about 10 buildings have been dismantled in controlled blasts by security forces. The counter-insurgency operation has damaged scores of other homes around these structures. Reports suggest over 1,500 people, including about 200 from Pahalgam, have been arrested.

The chief minister has appealed not to 바카라�let innocent people become collateral damage바카라�. Mehbooba Mufti says the Centre must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians following the recent Pahalgam attack.

Sajad Lone바카라�s People바카라�s Conference has moved the court regarding the issue. In a tweet, Lone called the mass protests in the Valley a 바카라�rare occurrence in the last 78 years바카라� and asked the centre not to subject people to 바카라�collective punishment바카라�.

바카라�I hope those at the helm understand what has been achieved in the aftermath of the heinous carnage in Pahalgam. And these precious gains are not frittered away,바카라� Lone wrote on the microblogging site X.

Toufiq Rashid is Deputy Managing Editor, Digital, at Outlook

This article is part of Outlook바카라�s May 11, 2025 issue, covering the Pahalgam terror attack and the old wounds it has reopened. It appeared in print as 'No Politics Over The Dead'.