Srinagar: At least one tourist was killed and seven others injured, some of them seriously, after terrorists opened fire on them at the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack by several terrorists, dressed in fatigues, came around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, even as tourists were enjoying themselves.
A Lashkar-e-Taiba front has allegedly claimed responsibility for the strike.
Chilling videos of the spot, immediately after the attack, emerged on social media. One of them shows two severely injured men on the ground, with a woman tending to one of the them. A second video shows another woman pleading for help for her husband.
One woman has claimed that they were having Pav Bhaji when a terrorist approached. “He asked if we were Muslims and then shot my husband in the head,” she said.
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the attack that is likely to strike a major blow to tourism in the state. “I condemn this cowardly attack on tourists that has resulted in one death. In Kashmir, we have always welcomed tourists with open arms. Those responsible should be punished,” she said.
The Army and other security forces have, meanwhile, launched a major search operation in the area. The injured have been moved to hospitals. Their identities are yet to be known.
(This is a developing story)
