Pahalgam Attack And The Photograph India Could Not Look Away From

Gunshots were heard at Baisaran in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, 5 injured: ran the ticker tape on TV channels. 

That was the initial input last year. 

Baisaran, which is a picturesque and lush meadow atop a hill accessible on foot or horseback, is a hit with tourists. The area is surrounded by dense pine forests on all sides. 

A tourist hotspot, Jammu and Kashmir, 5 injured.

The signs were not good. 

It proved to be the biggest terror attack in decades in the region. 

Tomorrow, April 22, will be a year to the horrific attack that claimed 26 lives, all Hindu men, including a Nepalese citizen. 

Read |  Baisaran Targeted In Pahalgam Attack For High Tourist Footfall: Anti-Terror Body

US vice president JD Vance was on an India visit as the attack unfolded in J&K.

The Pakistan-backed terrorists burst out of the forests and raked a crowd of tourists with automatic weapons.

The meadow, surrounded by a 7-feet-high chain link fence, had only two gates for entry and exit. The attack began with shots being fired near the exit gate. 

There were no security men around at the time of the attack.

Read: J&K Introduces QR Code-Based Verification For Tourists' Safety In Pahalgam

Survivors said the terrorists, three of them, separated the men from the women and children and shot them at close range before fleeing into dense jungle.

The terrorists specifically targeted men after asking whether they were Hindus or Muslims, said multiple reports at the time. 

A picture of a dazed Himanshi Narwal, married a week ago, slumped next to her husband's body, naval officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, became the defining image of the attack, which shook the nation.

"I was eating bhel puri with my husband when a man suddenly came and said he's not Muslim...then shot him," a stunned Himanshi was heard saying in one of the many videos from the attack site, locally known as 'mini-Switzerland'.

The couple was on their honeymoon in Pahalgam when terrorists shot the Naval officer at point-blank range.

Mourning her husband, Himanshi made it clear that she does not want any hate against Muslims.

"We don't want people going after Muslims and Kashmiris," Himanshi Narwal said later, adding, "we want peace and justice. People who have done wrong with him should be punished."

Read | 'Don't Want People Going After Muslims': Wife Of Navy Officer Killed In J&K Attack  

Failing to recite the Kalima (an Islamic declaration of faith), led to the death of Pune-based businessman Santosh Jagdale.

"They asked my father to recite an Islamic verse. When he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back," Asavari, who lost her father in the attack, told NDTV last year. 

Another tourist, a professor from Silchar in Assam, escaped by chanting the Kalima.

"Everybody around me was chanting (the 'kalima'), I was also chanting. The man pointed the gun towards my head, heard what I was saying and then he left... I was just chanting 'la illahi...' what everyone was chanting, you can call it herd mentality. I had no idea whether it would save my life or not. He heard it and he left," Debashish Bhattacharya had told NDTV. 

The trousers of around 20 victims of the attack, all males, were found unzipped or pulled down by the team of officials that carried out the first examination of the bulled-ridden bodies, in what was seen as a confirmation that terrorists had established the faith of tourists before killing them. 

The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based UN designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack twice. On the very day of the attack. And the day after.

Anti-terror agency National Investigation Agency, or NIA, took over the probe. 

The India Response

The attack worsened relations between India and Pakistan, the subcontinent arch-rivals.

New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistani diplomats and closed borders. Islamabad, in turn, suspended the 1972 Simla Agreement. 

India carried out Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, destroying terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Read | "We Were Fully Ready To Launch Ground Ops": Army Chief's Op Sindoor Reveal

After an intense military conflict, spanning four days, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire on May 10.

India's Operation Mahadev

A dynamic intelligence appreciation, based on time-space-force analysis, enabled security forces in Pahalgam to quickly adapt to the terrorists' movement patterns and expand the operational grid.

As intelligence inputs evolved, it became evident that the terrorists were moving through the upper reaches of South Kashmir -- Hapatnar, Bugmar and Tral -- gradually gravitating towards the dense and rugged forests of Dachhigam along the Mahadeo Ridge. 

Additional forces, including elite PARA (Special Forces) units, were inducted to intensify the hunt for the Pahalgam attackers.

Intelligence agencies, the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police, and Central Armed Police Forces worked in seamless coordination. The operational area, initially spread over 300-plus square kilometres, was progressively reduced through sustained surveillance, cross-country pursuit and precise deployment of forces.

Drones, remotely piloted aircraft, electro-optical sensors and other advanced surveillance tools were extensively employed to track movement in the dense forested zones. Continuous intelligence validation ensured that the terrorists remained under pressure, with their options steadily shrinking.

On 10 July 2025, based on fresh intelligence inputs, Operation Mahadev entered its decisive phase. 

After a pursuit spanning over 250 km and 93 days, the operational grid was finally compressed to a 25 square kilometre area. 

On 28 July 2025, in a meticulously planned and executed operation, a PARA (Special Forces) team undertook a stealthy approach through treacherous terrain, covering 3 kilometres on foot over 10 hours. In a swift and precise engagement, all three terrorists were neutralised.