Who’s behind the Pahalgam attack? Sketches of 3 terrorists released

Dubai: Indian security agencies have released sketches of three of the terrorists involved in Tuesday’s heinous attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead, according to an NDTV report.

As the nation struggles to cope with the tragedy, security agencies are going all-out to track down the terrorists and unearth the ruthless plan behind this attack, the report said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who rushed to Kashmir, reviewed the situation with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Saudi Arabia, cut short his trip and rushed back.

Earlier, the prime minister condemned the terror attack and said all assistance is being provided to those affected. “Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” he said.

Home Minister Shah paid tribute to those killed before their bodies were flown home. “With a heavy heart, paid last respects to the deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack. Bharat will not bend to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared,” he said in a post on X.

US President Donald Trump called Modi to offer “full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack”.

India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.

In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing in winter, and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.

Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, mostly domestic visitors.

Air India said it was adding two extra flights out of Srinagar on Wednesday, as terrified tourists sought to return home.

The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when terrorists rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.