On 22 April, separatist militants fired at tourists in the resort town of Pahalgam in the Kashmir Valley, killing at least 26, including one foreign national. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in nearly two decades, and a rare attack against tourists, who have thus far been largely spared from separatist violence.1Shweta Sharma, “How Kashmir’s deadliest attack on civilians in years unfolded: ‘It was like a storm,’” The Independent, 23 April 2025 Local reports attributed the attack to The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist separatist group.2The Hindu, “The Resistance Front: The banned organisation behind Pahalgam terror attack,” 23 April 2025 While the group has focused its activities against Indian security forces, ACLED data show the TRF’s involvement in at least 21 attacks targeting civilians in Kashmir since the group’s founding in 2019. Similar to Tuesday’s attack, non-Kashmiris and Hindus have borne the brunt of the TRF’s violence.
Pearl Pandya, South Asia Research Manager with ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), said:
“The attack belies the Indian government’s claims of normalcy in Kashmir since the revocation of its special political status in 2019. Marking a show of strength by the separatists, the timing appears to have been geared to garner maximum eyeballs, coinciding with United States Vice President JD Vance’s visit to India.
“Indian officials accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack, a charge denied by the Pakistani government. In response, the Indian government announced a slew of measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty regulating water-sharing of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.3Abhishek Chakroborty, “India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty, Shuts Attari Border In Strong Response To Pakistan,” NDTV, 23 April 2025 However, as demands for justice grow within India, the future of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir, in place since 2021, remains uncertain. ACLED data already show deteriorating conditions along the border — more clashes have been recorded between India and Pakistan’s military forces in 2025 so far than in all of 2024.”
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) is an independent, impartial, international non-profit organization collecting data on violent conflict and protest in all countries and territories in the world.
