 "Why Pahalgam terror attack amid JD Vance’s India visit may not be a coincidence")
The scenic tourist spot of Baisaran, a picturesque meadow ringed by dense forests, in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, was rocked by one of the worst terror attacks the Union Territory has witnessed when unknown gunmen emerged from the pine trees and shot down 26 tourists in the area.
The attack has shocked one and all. Condemnation poured in from all parts of the world with world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, expressing their condolences for those who lost their lives.
Notably, the Pahalgam attack follows a pattern often used by terrorists — attacking civilians at a time when a foreign leader is visiting the country. In fact, the Pahalgam attack unfolded while the United States Vice President JD Vance was in Jaipur as part of his four-day visit to India.
Catch all the live updates from the Pahalgam terror attack here
Let’s take a closer look at how the 2025 attack in Pahalgam mirrors those which occurred in 2002 and 2000 — when other foreign leaders were in the country.
The Pahalgam attack and JD Vance
On Tuesday, (April 22), at least 26 tourists were killed when terrorists, reportedly belonging to The Resistance Front, approached tourists from the direction of the nearby mountains and opened fire on them.
Videos shared by locals on social media showed injured tourists lying in pools of blood, while their relatives screamed and pleaded for help. A local tour guide told the AFP news agency he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded away on horseback. “I saw a few men lying on the ground looking like they were dead,” said Waheed.
A witness speaking to India Today said: “The shooting occurred right in front of us. At first we thought it was just firecrackers, but when we heard others screaming we rushed out of there to save ourselves.”
Another witness, who also did not reveal his name, said: “We didn’t stop running for four kilometres… I’m still trembling.”
Following the attack, Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
Notably, this Pahalgam attack occurred amid US Vice President JD Vance ’s four-day visit to India. At the time of the firing, which officials noted occurred between 1.30 pm and 2 pm, US VP JD Vance was in Jaipur addressing an audience on the US-India partnership.
Later, Vance posted his condolences on X, writing, “Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India. Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.”
Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India. Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack. https://t.co/cUAyMXje5A
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 22, 2025
2002 Kaluchak attack
Security officials note that the Pahalgam attack evokes memories of the past when terrorists have carried out attacks on civilians while foreign leaders and officials were in the country, in order to gain maximum international publicity.
Case in point the 2002 Kaluchak attack. On May 14, 2002, three terrorists attacked a Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus near Kaluchak, travelling from Manali to Jammu, and killed seven people. After that they entered the family quarter of the Indian Army and fired indiscriminately, killing 23 persons, including 10 children, eight women and five Army men. The age of the children killed ranged from four to 10 years. Thirty-four others were injured in the attack.
The attack prompted condemnation from all Indian leaders with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee terming it “a most inhuman and brutal carnage”. In fact, in his book A Call to Honour, former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh wrote that the attack in Kaluchak in the Jammu region “was the last straw” that almost brought India and Pakistan to war.
The Kaluchak attack coincided with US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina B Rocca’s visit to India. She was quick to condemn the terrorist attack in Jammu, saying that it was precisely this type of “barbarism that the war on terrorism is determined to stop”.
Chittisinghpura massacre of 2000
But before Pahalgam and Kaluchak, came the massacre of Chittisinghpura, which shook the Valley on March 20, 2000, in Anantnag district. In this tragedy, 36 Sikh villagers were gunned down in cold blood with the administration attributing this massacre to terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.
On that fateful day, gunmen wearing Army fatigues arrived in the village in military vehicles from either ends. They then marched from home to home, introducing themselves as Indian Army personnel and ordering every male member of the household come out for security checks. They ordered them to line up in front of the gurdwaras and opened fire, killing 36 of them.
One news report in The Hindu citing survivors said that about 20 men, clad in olive green combat fatigues, arrived in the village at 7-15 pm. They told the people that they were soldiers, and ordered the men out to be questioned. When the men were lined up in two groups, a few hundred metres from each other, the firing began. As they started firing, the gunmen shouted ‘Jai Mata Di’ and ‘Jai Hind’. In theatrical fashion, one of them took swigs from a bottle of rum even as the killing went on. While leaving, one of the men called out to his associates: “Gopal, chalo hamare saath” (Come with us, Gopal).
The attack was a shock to many as the small Sikh minority in the Kashmir Valley had escaped scot-free in the 10-year insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Notably, this attack came just a day before then US President Bill Clinton’s visit to the country. Reacting to the horror, Clinton had then said that “the killing of innocent people is the worst thing” that could be perpetrated, and that the atrocity was “a horrible development”.
He also India and Pakistan to open a dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute. “The violence must end," said Clinton.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee described it as an act of ethnic cleansing, and said: “We have the means and the will to eliminate this menace.”
With inputs from agencies
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