Amid a low flow of tourists, security has been stepped up in Pahalgam and other tourist destinations on the first anniversary of the Pahalgam attack, officials said.
Massive security arrangements have been put in place in and around the area, with security personnel setting up checkpoints at multiple locations. Drones have also been pressed into service to keep a close watch.
Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at several tourist locations, while frisking of vehicles has been increased, an official said.
On this day in 2025, 26 people, most of them tourists, were killed by militants in the Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, an incident that prompted military action by India against Pakistan.
Following the attack, tourists fled the Valley, impacting businesses across sectors. Security has since been significantly strengthened since, but tourist inflow remains low, said a local tourist official.
Tributes pour in
Paying tribute to the victims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that the country remembers the “innocent lives lost” in last year’s attack and stands united in grief.
He said the victims would “never be forgotten” and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families, adding that India would never bow to terrorism and that such attacks would not succeed.
Speaking to reporters, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the anniversary marked a painful day as the region remembered those killed in the attack while on holiday.
He said the victims were innocent tourists who had come to the Valley for leisure but were targeted and killed by militants. The chief minister added that the tragedy still weighs heavily on the people of Jammu and Kashmir and that the region remains in mourning.
“We must ensure that such incidents never happen again”, Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, scores of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in south Kashmir marched to Pahalgam to pay tribute to the victims.
Published on April 22, 2026