The April 22 Pahalgam Killings: A Case Study In Cross-Border Terrorism And State Complicity – OpEd |
On April 22, 2025, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of its most brutal acts of terrorism in recent years. Twentysix innocent tourists among them a foreign national were executed in cold blood after being segregated by religion. The attack, carried out in Pahalgam, was not an isolated eruption of violence but part of a longstanding pattern of cross-border militancy. Evidence gathered by Indian authorities, as well as subsequent developments, has been widely cited by analysts as pointing toward the involvement of Pakistanbacked groups, particularly The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of LashkareTaiba (LeT) and a USdesignated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).
The Pahalgam massacre occurred at a moment when Jammu and Kashmir was experiencing a period of relative political stability. Successful local elections, improved governance, and renewed economic activity had begun to reshape the region’s trajectory. For many observers, the timing of the attack was significant. Historically, major terror incidents in the region have often coincided with political milestones or periods of progress, notably, the moments when stability threatens the strategic utility of militant proxies.
A Clear Cross-Border Signature
The crossborder dimension of the Pahalgam attack became even more evident three months later. On July 28, 2025, Indian security forces neutralized three Pakistani terrorists on the outskirts of Srinagar. Identity documents recovered from the site revealed that one of the perpetrators was Habib Tahir, a resident of Koiyan near Khaigala in Pakistanadmistered Kashmir. Another was identified as........