Not ordinary tourists, all had security links: Attackers justify Pahalgam massacre
The Resistance Front (TRF), a relatively obscure Kashmiri rebel group that claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam, issued a statement on Wednesday asserting that the individuals targeted were not ordinary tourists. Instead, the group alleged that the victims were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies.
“[The targeted group] was not a typical tourist party but rather an undercover agency tasked with research,” the statement read. The TRF warned that the attack should “serve as a wake-up call not only for Delhi but also for those who support Delhi’s questionable strategies.”
India’s government has not yet responded to the group’s claims.
Manhunt across Kashmir
Meanwhile, Indian security forces have launched a massive manhunt for the assailants behind a brutal attack that left 26 men dead in Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot in Indian-administered Kashmir. It marks the deadliest assault on civilians in India in nearly two decades.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security at his New Delhi residence to assess the situation and discuss the government's response.
According to The Indian Express, seven armed attackers are suspected to have carried out the massacre, with four to five of them believed to be Pakistani nationals, citing security sources.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned that those responsible for the attack would face a "loud and clear" response, signaling firm retaliation.
Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has assured that measures are being taken to ensure the safe return of stranded tourists who wish to leave the region in the aftermath of the tragedy.
What is TRF?
Even as news of the deadliest attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in decades spread across social media and television, a message appeared on Telegram chats. The Resistance Front (TRF), a little-known armed group that emerged in the region in 2019, claimed responsibility for the attack, which left at least 26 tourists dead and more than a dozen injured on Tuesday.
For years, armed rebels fighting for Kashmir’s secession from India had largely spared tourists from their attacks. Tuesday’s incident marked a significant shift in this approach.
What happened on Tuesday?
On a sunny afternoon in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam town in Kashmir, gunmen emerged from a nearby forest and opened fire on a group of tourists. Armed with automatic rifles, the attackers killed at least 26 men and injured several others.
As condolences poured in from global leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on social media, vowing that “those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice … they will not be spared!” By then, TRF had already claimed responsibility for the attack, even as the perpetrators remained at large.
Emergence of TRF
In its statement, TRF opposed the granting of residency permits to “outsiders,” a move critics argue could alter the demographic composition of the disputed region. “Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” the group warned.
Though the targets of Tuesday’s attack were tourists—not newly arrived residents—the group’s use of Telegram to claim responsibility did not surprise security officials. TRF initially gained prominence as a “virtual front” after the Indian government unilaterally revoked Kashmir’s partial autonomy in August 2019 and imposed a months-long clampdown.
The name “The Resistance Front” marks a departure from traditional Kashmiri rebel groups, most of which bear Islamic names. Indian intelligence agencies believe this was an attempt to project “a neutral character, with ‘resistance’ focused on Kashmiri nationalism.” However, Indian officials maintain that TRF is either an offshoot or a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based armed group. Pakistan denies supporting militancy in Kashmir but condemns the attack on tourists in Pahalgam.
Some Indian officials speculate that Tuesday’s attack may have been orchestrated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, with TRF claiming responsibility to complicate investigations.
TRF’s track record
By 2020, TRF began claiming responsibility for minor attacks, including targeted killings of individuals. Its recruits consisted of fighters from various splinter rebel groups. Despite efforts by Indian security agencies to dismantle TRF cells, the group survived and grew.
By 2022, a majority of armed fighters killed in gunfights in Kashmir were affiliated with TRF, according to government records. The group increasingly relied on small arms, such as pistols, to carry out targeted killings, including those of retired security personnel and alleged informers.
In 2022, TRF also made headlines after naming Kashmiri journalists on a “traitor hit list” for allegedly collaborating with the Indian state. At least five of the named journalists resigned immediately, given the history of such threats.
In June 2024, TRF claimed responsibility for an attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Jammu’s Reasi area, killing at least nine people and injuring 33.
How is TRF different?
TRF distinguished itself through a blend of old and new tactics. While its English name and use of social media stood out, the group reverted to more traditional methods after the 2019 crackdown. “The faces were again hidden; the number of attacks fell, but the intensity became sharper,” said a police officer familiar with armed groups, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Under Mohammad Abbas Sheikh, one of the oldest Kashmiri fighters, TRF focused its attacks on Srinagar. After his killing in 2021 and subsequent losses, the group retreated to high-altitude hideouts. In January 2023, the Indian government declared TRF a “terrorist organization,” citing its recruitment of rebels and smuggling of weapons from Pakistan into Kashmir.
Implications for Modi’s Kashmir policy
Experts suggest that the attack exposes vulnerabilities in the Modi government’s Kashmir policy. Since revoking the region’s semi-autonomous status in 2019, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have repeatedly claimed “normalcy” in Kashmir. This narrative promoted tourism, drawing visitors like Kailash Sethi, a tourist from Gujarat, who now seeks to leave Kashmir urgently.
“We were in Pahalgam just two days ago, at the same place where the attack happened,” Sethi told Al Jazeera from Srinagar. “I cannot tell you how scared I am right now. I just want to take my family out of here.”
Panic gripped tour operators as tourists rushed to cancel bookings and flee the region. Roads to Srinagar airport were jammed, and flight prices surged by over 300 per cent.
Ajai Sahni, executive director of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, criticised the government’s “normalcy narrative,” calling it “the most unfortunate aspect of this administration’s Kashmir policy.”
“First, zero militancy in Kashmir is an impossible objective without a political solution,” Sahni said. “Secondly, the ‘normalcy narrative’ creates a situation where groups are encouraged to engineer attacks because they know even a small attack disrupts the illusion of normalcy.”
Sahni noted that rebel groups had largely spared the tourism industry until now, possibly leading to complacency within the security apparatus. “This is a very abrupt escalation on the part of TRF,” he added.
By Tuesday evening, as casualties were transported from Pahalgam, authorities sealed off the resort town. Several areas in Kashmir, including Srinagar, observed shutdowns after traders’ associations and political parties called for collective mourning.
Raul, a hospitality worker in Pahalgam who requested anonymity, expressed anxiety about the future. “There will be crackdowns and an increased presence of armed forces in the area again,” he said. “Everyone, my clients, just wants to get out of Kashmir.”
Source: Al Jazeera
