One Year After Pahalgam: Grief Lingers, Kashmir Still Caught In The Crossfire

A year on from the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley that claimed 26 innocent lives, the scars remain raw, etched deeply into the hearts of grieving families and across the fragile psyche of Kashmir.

On 22 April 2025, gunfire shattered the serenity of the famed meadow, as tourists became targets in an assault that would reverberate far beyond the Valley. The attack set in motion India’s Operation Sindoor—precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—plunging the region into a fraught four-day military standoff. The days that followed were marked by relentless cross-border mortar and artillery fire, drone and missile exchanges, rolling blackouts, and an atmosphere thick with fear. A fragile calm returned only on 10 May, when both sides, after Director General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level talks, agreed to a ceasefire effective from 1700 hours IST, halting all military action.

Outlook’s May 2025 issues stand today as a compelling chronicle of those days—layered, nuanced, and unflinching in their gaze.

In the 11 May 2025 edition, the cover story, “Pahalgam Terror Attack | Kashmir Bears the Collateral Damage” by Chinki Sinha, struck a measured yet poignant note: “The Pahalgam attack has made us angry, and rightly so. But anger should not lead us into an abyss of hate.” The issue carried powerful reportage from the ground—by Ishfaq Naseem—capturing the sweeping crackdown across the Valley: demolished homes, mass detentions, relentless raids, and intensified patrols. Elsewhere, Toufiq Rashid probed troubling questions around security lapses in and around Baisaran, while Seema Guha examined how, once again, India and Pakistan found themselves teetering on the brink.

Grief found its voice in deeply personal accounts, as Avantika Mehta chronicled stories of mourning that cut to the bone. Alongside these came resonant voices from within Kashmir itself. Mehbooba Mufti urged the government to “distinguish between terrorists and ordinary citizens” if trust, rather than fear, is to take root. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq reflected that “violence thrives where dialogue is absent,” while Tanvir Sadiq issued a stark reminder: “Kashmiris are not your enemy.” In a rare and striking moment, Kashmiris across the political spectrum spoke in unison to condemn the attack—an inflection point noted by Toufiq Rashid.

The issue was further enriched by a range of thoughtful reflections: Huzaifa Pandit’s “Coffins Don’t Permit Debates” meditated on the silence of loss; Siddhartha Gigoo questioned whether Kashmir could ever truly return to what it once was.

By the 21 May 2025 edition—pointedly titled “Is It War?”—the lens had shifted to the mounting escalation and its human toll. In “Ceasefire?”, Chinki Sinha captured the unnerving drift towards conflict: emergency kits hastily assembled, sleepless nights, drones humming overhead, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness. “I don’t want to get used to any war,” she wrote, distilling a sentiment shared by many.

Ground reportage by Ishfaq Naseem, “Suffocating Kashmir in India–Pakistan Conflict”, laid bare the harsh realities in border villages—civilian casualties, shattered homes, and waves of displacement. Toibah Kirmani recorded the quiet desperation of residents yearning for de-escalation, even as analysts including Seema Guha, Danita Yadav, and Gurjit Singh unpacked the broader geopolitical tremors. Their work traced India’s evolving military posture under Operation Sindoor, set against the long, fraught history between two nuclear-armed neighbours.

One year later, the ceasefire has held, but the grief has not faded. Among them is the family of Lt Vinay Narwal, killed just days after his wedding, his future cut heartbreakingly short. As Rajesh Narwal put it with quiet resignation: “You don’t move on from something like this. You just learn how to carry it.”

Kashmir continues to bear the collateral damage, economic losses, lingering trauma in border areas, and the constant shadow of violence. Outlook’s May 2025 coverage remains a sobering reminder: anger after terror is natural, but it must not turn into hate or collective punishment. True healing requires both resolve against terrorism and space for dialogue and humanity.

On this first anniversary, the stories from those issues echo loudly. The dead demand justice, the living require peace, and Kashmir, above all, deserves a future free from the cycle of violence.