Pahalgam Terror Attack | How Kashmir's Reaction Marked a Shift

In July 2016, militant leader Burhan Wani, 22, was killed in a gun battle with government forces in Kukernag, Anantnag. Despite restrictions on movement, thousands assembled in Tral, Wani’s hometown, to participate in his funeral prayers. Eyewitnesses said the prayers had to be conducted multiple times owing to the sheer number of mourners. Several others performed funerals in absentia in south, central and north Kashmir.

The news of Wani’s death triggered protests across the Valley. Several installations of security forces were reportedly attacked and protesters were injured in clashes. Fearing more violence, the state government imposed curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar, Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Sopore, Kupwara and Kulgam. Internet services were snapped across the Valley.

Kashmir came to a standstill.

Pahalgam Wrought a Change in Narrative

Fast forward to 2025, Kashmir shuts again, spontaneously, without any prompts from political or social organisations. On April 22, in a matter of hours, Kashmir Valley—a buzzing tourist hotspot—turned silent. People were stunned after the Pahalgam terror attack. As tourists started packing and leaving, frantically looking for the first flight or train back home, something was gradually shifting in the Valley. The change in narrative unfolded over the next few days.

The terror attack that killed 26, brought people together on a common platform. Kashmiris and politicians cutting across political lines were speaking the same language—the language of condemnation. For the first time in 35 years, that the entire Valley reacted furiously and openly to an act of terror. For the people of Kashmir, known for their hospitality, the massacre was devastating. Kashmir reacted with rage to the brutality of the attack on its guests.

Schools and business establishments shut down, and traffic went off the roads. All one could see was citizens from Anantnag to Kupwara, Srinagar to Budgam hitting the streets to protest. Candle marches, street protests and sit-ins—all reverberated with calls for peace and accountability. The next morning, the newspapers published their first page in black with editorials and headlines wanting “heads to roll”.

Twenty-five-year-old Sheikh Haroon from Zadibal in Srinagar joined a group of people at Dal Lake to protest the killings. The group included artisans, weavers, shawl makers, wood carvers, papier-mâché artists, shikara pliers and houseboat owners, all directly related to the tourism industry.  “We have come to express our solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones. We are shocked beyond words. The perpetrators need to be found and hanged in the open,” he says.

Those gathered called it an assault on humanity. “The Quran says killing one innocent is like killing humanity. Tourists are our guests; this should not have happened on our watch. This act is making all of us hang our heads in shame,” says Sajad Ahmad, an electronics businessman who also joined the group.

Ajay Modi, a tour operator from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, who was also protesting alongside the locals, expressed his firm faith in the goodness of the people of Kashmir and hoped people in the rest of the country could see how “Kashmir has reacted to the killings”.

The protests, experts say, mark a shift in the mindset and an open denouncement of any social sanction of violence.

Changed political narrative

Besides the social narrative, the situation has also changed the political narrative in the Valley. Politicians, cutting across political ideologies, came out to express their anguish. The cries for solidarity came from the pulpits of Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, which is often closed by authorities for fear of anti-government protests.

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq asked the faithful who had gathered for Friday prayers to observe a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for the slain. Mirwaiz condemned the massacre as an “act of terror”; no justifications followed, and neither did whataboutery.

“The deep pain and outrage that this horrific incident has caused transcends all political affiliations and labels. As a sufferer of violence myself, I have always stood for the sanctity of human life and against violence targeting innocents,” he says, referring to the killing of his father, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, by unknown assailants in the 1990s. Mirwaiz said it was every conscientious person’s duty to speak out clearly and unequivocally, as the people of Kashmir have done together.

Mainstream politicians across party lines are talking in one voice, condemning the act for the first time since the new government came into power.

National Conference (NC) chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq called the incident a “tragedy for humanity”. He emphasised the need for national unity in the face of such violence. “We stand with the country and with the families who have lost their loved ones,” he says.

While Sadiq and his party colleague and transport minister Satish Sharma led a candlelight march to Dal Lake in Srinagar, the NC also took out a protest in Lal Chowk led by the Chief Minister’s political advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, joined by senior members of her party, also led a protest march to Lal Chowk, holding a placard that read: “This is an attack on all of us”. 

The NC-led government introduced a resolution condemning the attack that was unanimously passed. At the request of the Cabinet, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha summoned a one-day Special Session of the Legislative Assembly on April 28 to discuss the Pahalgam terror. Delivering his first speech in the House since the attack, Abdullah admitted he failed in his duty to ensure the safe return of tourists and acknowledged feeling helpless. He added: “The security in Jammu and Kashmir is not the responsibility of the elected government, but I will not use this opportunity (terror attack) to seek statehood. How can I push for statehood using the Pahalgam terror attack?” This comes after Abdullah had earlier expressed optimism on statehood following talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

This was a sharp contrast to the criticism the NC faced after the “guarded resolution on the restoration of special status” in 2024. Kashmir-based political parties like the PDP had criticised the Omar Abdullah-led government for “avoiding words like Article 370, 35A, and rejection of August 5, 2019, moves by the Centre”. The opposition parties were also critical of the NC for not taking a strong stand on the Waqf Act. “What Article 370, Waqf Bill couldn’t do, the massacre has done,” says a politician.

Most political parties in Kashmir have criticised the Centre for not honouring the commitment to restoring statehood.

The political parties are now guarded in their criticism of the central government. “There will be a time when we will do politics. Today is not that day. We want to stand in support of the people who have lost their loved ones,” NC chief spokesman Sadiq said. Another senior leader from the PDP, who didn’t want to be named, echoed the same sentiment. “It’s a sad situation. Something so ghastly has happened. We are all on the defensive and don’t want to be seen taking political mileage out of it,” he says.

The chief minister hit out at Pakistan for its “neutral” probe comment into the Pahalgam terror attack. “First, they did not even recognise that something had happened in Pahalgam. First, they said that India was behind it. For the people who made allegations against us in the first place, it is difficult to say anything about it now. I don’t want to give much importance to their statements,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah has not raised the issue of security lapses after reports surfaced that Baisaran Valley, where the incident took place, was not secured. After a large number of cancellations by tourists, Abdullah, however, appealed to the people of India “not to leave Kashmir during these times as it may make our enemies win”.

Politicians across party lines have, however, unequivocally appealed that “Kashmiris should not be treated like enemies”.  Mehbooba Mufti insisted on an inclusive approach to bridge the gap between Kashmir and the rest of India, highlighting Kashmir’s resilience in the face of ongoing hostilities. “Kashmir is a place everyone loves and would love to come back. As far as people listening to me in Delhi or the rest of the country, I want to say for the first time Kashmiris have taken an open stand, and it needs to be reciprocated by Delhi. As far as security is concerned, you deal with security, but you need to have a different attitude for Kashmiris who stood with you at this critical juncture,” she says.

The Kashmiri people and its leadership have hailed the “immediate and brave response” of the local Kashmiris, like porters and ponywallas who, without formal rescue teams, stepped in and became the first responders during the crisis. Eyewitness accounts mention how the locals helped save the injured and evacuate the victims from the Baisaran massacre.

Thirty-year-old Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who lost his life while trying to snatch a gun from one of the terrorists, has become the face of “humanity and hospitality”.

“The people of Kashmir, cutting across political affiliations for the first time, have shown complete solidarity and genuine empathy with the victims. I have not seen this spontaneous shutdown anytime since I started covering the conflict in Kashmir in 1988,” says Arun Joshi, a senior journalist.

“Kashmir’s response conveys a message to the entire nation that Kashmir stands for humanity, hospitality, and our love for our guests. Secondly, we can sacrifice our lives for the lives of our guests, and that’s what Adil Shah has done. He sacrificed himself while trying to save tourists,” he adds.

Opposition to demolitions

The Kashmir leadership, however, is at a crossroads due to the growing opposition to the ongoing demolition drive of houses of active militants. So far, about 10 buildings have been dismantled in controlled blasts by security forces. The counter-insurgency operation has damaged scores of other homes around these structures. Reports suggest over 1,500 people, including about 200 from Pahalgam, have been arrested.

The chief minister has appealed not to “let innocent people become collateral damage”. Mehbooba Mufti says the Centre must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians following the recent Pahalgam attack.

Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference has moved the court regarding the issue. In a tweet, Lone called the mass protests in the Valley a “rare occurrence in the last 78 years” and asked the centre not to subject people to “collective punishment”.

“I hope those at the helm understand what has been achieved in the aftermath of the heinous carnage in Pahalgam. And these precious gains are not frittered away,” Lone wrote on the microblogging site X.

Toufiq Rashid is Deputy Managing Editor, Digital, at Outlook

This article is part of Outlook’s May 11, 2025 issue, covering the Pahalgam terror attack and the old wounds it has reopened. It appeared in print as 'No Politics Over The Dead'.