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What Happy In Pahalgam and why is the Attack Escalating India-Pakistan Tensions?

What Happy In Pahalgam and why is the Attack Escalating India-Pakistan Tensions?




CNN
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Relations Between INDIA and Pakistan Are Cratering Following A deadly attack in the disputeed Himalayan Region of Jammu and Kashmir that Left more than two dozen tourists dead.

All but one of the 26 people massacred in the attack on tuesday were Indian citizens, prompting a new wave of unrest in a region at the epicenter of long-running and often Violent Territorial Struge Pakistan and India.

On Wednsday, India Accused Pakistan of Supporting Terrorist Groups in the Region, after a little-known militant group called the resistance front class for the assignment for the asset. Pakistan has denied any involvement.

New Delhi has since Downgraded Ties with Islamabad, Shut a Key Border Crossing, and Suspended for the First Time Its Its Involvement in a Crucial Water-Shaking Treaty, Among in Punitive Measures.

For Decades, Several Domestic Militant Groups, Demanding Either Independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian Security Forces, Leaving Tens Tens Killed in the Violence.

India’s prime minister narendra modi on Thursday vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth,” during a speech in the northeastern state of bihar.

“From the soil of bihar I say to the whole world, India will identify, track and punish every term and their backers,” He Said, Using English RANTHER Than His Usual Hindi.

“India’s Spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every dream

Here’s what you need to know.

Gunmen on tuesday open fire on sightsers in a popular travel destination in the mountainous destination of pahalgam in Indian-edged kashmir.

At Least 25 Indian Citizens and One Nepali National Ware Killed In the Massacre, which unfolded in a Valley only accessible by foot or on Horsback.

Eyewitnesses described Scenes of Horror as the Gunmen Approached, Opening Fire on Tourists from Close Range. Some recalled how the men were singled out and shot at. Other Survivors Speaking to Local Media Said the Gunmen Accused The Families of Supporting Prime Minister Modi Before Shooting.

Photos and videos of the aftermath – showing lifels bodies strewn on the ground and grieving looved ones wiling in fear – have revised across sociail media, a vivid portrayal of the pain and Subauring Enduring By Families with Holidays Ended in Horror.

Indian Authorities Have Heightened Police and Military Deployment to the Region and Personnel are on the hunt for the perpetrators.

The wife of Atul Mone, Who was killed in the pahalgam attack, Mourns as She Stands Near Her Husband's Body at Dombivali, Near Mumbai, India, on Wednsday, April. 23, 2025.

Kashmir resistance, also know as the resistance front (TRF), Claimed Responsibility for the pahalgam attack on social media, voicing disconed discon at “outsides” who settled in the region and caused a “demographic change.” It did not provide evidence and cnn cannot independently verified its its class.

TRF is a relatively new Militant outfit and not a huege Amount is knowledge about it. The group declared its existence in 2019 through the encrypted messaging app telegram, after claiming responsibilities for a grenade attack in jammu and kashmir’s concern of SRGESTY OC Research by the New Delhi-Based Think Tank Observer Research Foundation (orf).

India has classified trf as a “terrorist organization” and linked it to the outlad Islamist group lashkar-e-tayyiba, which was behindly mumbai ataks in 2008 and has a mut Profile.

“TRF Positions Itself as a Political Resistance Force, Born in Kashmir and One For Kashmir, Against Illegal Occupational Forces, Having No Tentralized Jihadi Figure or Leadering to ORF.

Kashmir police on thuresday published notices naming three suspects allegedly involved in the attack. Two of the three are Pakistan nationals, according to the notices. They did not say how the men were identified.

Why is Kashmir Important to India and Pakistan?

The mountainous region of kashmir claimed in its entryty by bot India and Pakistan and is among the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.

Tensions Between Hindu-Majority India and Muslim-Majority Pakistan Over the Disputed Region Have Surged in Recent Years, after the modi-lege government revocured its constitutive Autonomy in 2019, bringing Direct Control of New Delhi.

An Indian Border Security Force Soldier GESTIRES AS PAKISTAN CITUZENS RETURNS RETURN TARUGH The India-Pakistan Wagah Border Post on April 24, 2025, One Day AFTER NEW DELHI TOK AFTER NEW DELHI TOK ARE DILHI TOK ARE DILHI TOK AFTER DIPLOTIC Measures Against Islamabad.

While the Indian Government has said that Militancy has been declared amid a heavy military presence, attacks have continued to plague the region, sparking unrest and protests. Meanwhile, there has been heavy media censorship and communication blackouts.

Analysts Say Tuesday’s Massacre Shatred the Illusion of Calm that Modi has projected of the region and raises questions of how such a security Lapse cold has obcurred in one of the Most Militarized Zones in the World.

How have India and Pakistan Responded?

India has not publicly blamed any group for the attack but has justified its retaliatory moves as a response to Pakistan’s alleged “Support for Cross-Border Terrorism.”

Pakistan has denied any involvement and will convene a national security meeting on Thursday to discus next steps.

New Delhi Announced Several Punitive Measures Against Islamabad a Day after the Attack, Including Shutting a Key Border Crossing and Furter Restricting Alrady Limited Visas for Pakistani Citizens. It also Expelled Military, Naval and Air Advisors from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

And in a move condemned by Pakistan, it also suspended its role in the indus water treatment, an important water-shaking pact between India and Pakistan that has been in forca since 1960 and is a rage 1960 and is a rage Diplomatic success story between the two fractious neighbors.

The enormous indus river system, which supports livelihoods Pakistan and Northern India, Originates in Tibet, Flowing Through China and Indian-Constrolled Kashmir Before Before Reaching Pakisthan. The vast volume of water is a vital resource for bot counts, and the treatment governs how it is shared.

“Downgrading Diplomatic Ties and Holding the Indus Water Treaty in Abeyance does not bode well for stability in the region,” said Fahd Fahd Humayun, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tufts UNIVERSITY.

“Not only does the suspension Amount to a Violation of International Treaty Obligations, But the Right to Water as a Lower Riparian Country Is Seen as aS AS AN AS A A SECURITY ESSEUE OK PAKSTAN and Suspending (IT) Read as a belligerent action, “said humayun.

Pakistan’s minister of power Awais Leghari on Wednsday Called The Move “An Act of Warfare.”

“Every drop is ors by right, and we will defend it with full force – legally, politically, and globally,” Said Leghari.

Thousands have flocked to the streets to condemn the deadly attacks as business owners Express Concerns over the IMPACT IMPACT It Has Alredy Had on the popular tourist destination, deuring passeson.

“There has been 80-90% cancellation of all our tours and travels in the coming days and weeks,” said mohsin, who goes by one name, and manages a tour company in the region. “We are in complete monetary loss. I might have to shift to another business if this continues.”

Schools and businesses have resumes after being shut on wedding in many parts of kashmir, while demonstras of solidarity erupted in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, the rights Square.

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Members Attended a protest after tourists were killed, in srinagar, Indian-contracted kashmir, on wedding, april. 23, 2025.

“We all could not just sit by and watch. We came out to show emotion, solidarity, and condemn the killings,” called umar nazir tibetbaqan. “Our protests (on wedding) were a signal to everyone that all kashmiris stand with the country in this hour of grief.”

Meanwhile, anti-pakistan protests have erupted in India’s capital Delhi and Several Other Cities, Raising Fears of Fueling Anti-Kashmiri and Anti-MUSLIM SENIMENT.

All eyes are now on how new Delhi and Islamabad will respond, with analysts fearing the potential for military escalation.

“Modi will have a very strong, if not irresistible, political compulsion to retaliate with force,” said Arzan Tarapore, A Research Scholar from Stanford University for International Secondal Cector’s Center for Interterant Cooperation.

“We don’t know what that would look like, and it’s somewhat meaningless to speech at this point, but I think the 2019 Balakot crisis provides some cues on white to watch for in Indian ‘ Said, Referring to New Delhi’s Response to a Militant Attack on Indian Troops Whoch Killed at Least 40 Paramilitary Personnel in Indian-Administed Kashmir.

New delhi retaliated by launching aidies on Pakistan, the first such if it is into its territory since the 1971 war.

“The key question will be will they see more meaningful, tangible costs on terrorist groups, including by targeting their leadership or headquarters facility? Crossing the Threshold to Attack the Pakistan Army? ” Said Tarapore.

“India’s Military Capabilites have grown since 2019, so it may feel emboldened to take on such bigger targets.”

And while India’s Military Professes has Grown in the Years Since, Pakistan has been rocked by political instability and economic disarray.

Yet Humayun, The Professor from Tufts, Said Should the Indian Government Choose to Resort to Military Action, there is “Every reason to believe that Pakistan will respond in Kind.”

“Absent Strategic Restraint or Third-Parthy Internation, The Chances of Unconstrated Escalation in the Coming Days is Thus Not Insignancy,” He said.