NEW DELHI: Days earlier than terrorists gunned down 26 vacationers in a brutal bloodbath in Pahalgam, intelligence companies had sounded the alarm a few doable assault on guests staying close to Srinagar’s scenic foothills, in response to a report by PTI citing official sources.
Appearing on these inputs, safety forces elevated patrolling round areas like Dachigam and Nishat, with senior police officers stationed in Srinagar.
The main target was heightened after a terror strike in Gangangir, Sonamarg final October, which left seven individuals lifeless.
Regardless of a two-week-long search operation based mostly on these inputs, no breakthroughs had been made, and the mission was referred to as off on the very day of the Pahalgam assault.
Officers imagine the terrorists might have aimed to disrupt the deliberate go to of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flag off the primary prepare from Katra to Srinagar — an occasion seen as symbolic of Kashmir’s integration with the remainder of the nation. Though the PM’s go to, initially set for April 19, was postponed because of inclement climate, sources recommend Pakistan-based parts might have wished to overshadow it with violence.
In keeping with preliminary assessments, two native terrorists had blended in with the vacationers in Valley’s Pahalgam.
When the taking pictures started, they herded the group to a meals courtroom, the place two Pakistani terrorists opened hearth.
Officers see the assault as an try to instill concern and probably provoke retaliatory violence in opposition to Kashmiris in different elements of India. Swift intervention by chief minister Omar Abdullah and coordination with New Delhi helped preempt such outcomes, with states requested to make sure the security of Kashmiri residents.
Safety officers have additionally flagged a shift within the nature of militancy in J&Okay, citing recoveries of superior weapons – together with M-series rifles and armour-piercing bullets — probably sourced from Nato stockpiles left behind in Afghanistan.
Cautioning in opposition to utilizing vacationer numbers as a barometer of peace, officers referenced the 2006 incident the place 4 vacationers had been killed in Srinagar quickly after a former CM had claimed peace based mostly on rising vacationer footfall. “Tourism ought to be considered as an financial exercise, not a measure of normalcy in a battle zone,” one official mentioned.
On issues about Baisaran being closed to vacationers, officers clarified it stays open year-round besides throughout the Amarnath Yatra and snowfall. A contract was awarded final yr for vacationer operations, and new amenities like a zipline have been added.