ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday expressed concern over the loss of lives in an attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which claimed the lives of 26 people.
Responding to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan was saddened by the incident and expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased.
“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the spokesperson said.
“We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
At least 26 people, including an Indian Navy officer, were killed and 17 were injured when gunmen opened fire at tourists in the IIOJK in the worst such attack in the region in nearly two decades.
According to police, the attack took place on Tuesday in the popular destination of Pahalgam — a renowned site for tourists in summer some 90 kilometres away from Srinagar.
The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and the dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.
A little-known group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change”.
India revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the disputed Himalayan territory. That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan. The dispute has spurred bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Attacks targeting tourists in IIOJK have been rare. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after an attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.
Reacting to the incident, PM Modi said: “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called Modi to quickly offer “full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack”.
Other foreign leaders, including EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the attack.
