Tourist Massacre In Kashmir Escalates Tensions Between India, Pakistan

A deadly attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir that left more than two dozen tourists dead, raising fears of another military escalation between the nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

New Delhi degraded ties with Islamabad, summoned its top diplomat, suspended for the first time its involvement in a crucial water sharing treaty and shut a key border crossing, among other punitive measures in the wake of what was the region’s worst assault on civilians in years.

All but one of the 26 people massacred were Indian citizens, prompting a new wave of unrest in a region claimed by both Pakistan and India and that has been the epicenter of often violent territorial struggle between the two countries.

For decades, several domestic militant groups, demanding either independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian security forces, leaving tens of thousands killed in the violence.

On Wednesday, India accused Pakistan of supporting terrorist groups in the region, after a little-known militant group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility. Pakistan has denied any involvement.

At least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national were killed in the massacre, which unfolded in a meadow in the Baisaran Valley – which is only accessible by foot or on horseback.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the gunmen approached, opening fire on tourists in from close range. Some recalled how the men were singled out and shot at. Other survivors speaking to local media said the gunmen accused the families of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before shooting.

A little-known militant group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, voicing discontent at “outsiders” who settled in the region and caused a “demographic change.” It did not provide evidence and CNN cannot independently verify its claim.

Indian authorities have heightened police and military deployment to the region and personnel are on the hunt for the perpetrators.

The Resistance Front (TRF)

Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front (TRF), is a relatively new militant outfit that has claimed killings of civilians from minority communities residing in Kashmir in recent years. Not a huge amount is known about them.

TRF declared its existence in 2019 through the encrypted messaging app Telegram, after claiming responsibility for a grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s largest city of Srinagar, according to research by the New Delhi based think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

The arrival of TRF is portrayed as the “inception of a new indigenous resistance in Kashmir,” ORF said in 2021.

India has classified TRF as a “terrorist organization” and linked it to the outlawed Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which was behind the deadly Mumbai attacks in 2008 and has a much higher profile.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma