Tourist massacre in Jammu & Kashmir sparks outrage in Valley, Peace Forum demands action

By A Representative 

The Pakistan India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) has issued a scathing condemnation of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow, Jammu & Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, including young couples, families with children, foreign nationals, and a recently married 26-year-old Indian Navy officer. Described as one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent years, the massacre has plunged the region into mourning and ignited nationwide fury.

In a statement, PIPFPD expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and the people of Jammu & Kashmir, emphasizing that targeting unarmed civilians is not militancy but an act of terror that fuels violence and suffering. The group highlighted the bravery of local Kashmiri Muslims who risked their lives to save tourists, countering narratives that paint the community as violent. “Such attacks play into the hands of majoritarian right-wing forces, enabling Hindutva groups to falsely portray all Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists,” the statement read.

The attack has drawn widespread condemnation, with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club, travel associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and civil society groups calling for a mourning and protest shutdown. The Kashmir Times reported a chilling effect on tourism, with cancellations threatening livelihoods in a region already grappling with economic and political suppression.

PIPFPD criticized the Indian government’s approach, arguing that opening Jammu & Kashmir for tourism while silencing critical voices through incarceration is “insensitive and provocative.” The group pointed to the detention of youth, journalists, and activists as a driver of extremism, quoting John F. Kennedy: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

The forum reiterated that Jammu & Kashmir is not a territorial dispute but a matter of the democratic aspirations of its people. It called for an end to armed repression by India and Pakistan, urging dialogue and strengthened local governance over military solutions. PIPFPD demanded urgent action: a transparent investigation into security failures, institutional accountability, and a time-bound judicial probe to identify and punish the perpetrators.

“We appeal for peace and sanity, urging all to avoid the trap of cyclical violence,” the statement concluded, demanding the Indian government safeguard Kashmiri lives and liberties nationwide to prevent further escalation.