KEY POINTS
- Authorities have closed 48 out of 87 tourist destinations in Kashmir after intelligence warned of more terror attacks.
- The National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe and released sketches of suspects linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
- India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and expelled Pakistani diplomats; Pakistan has responded by closing its airspace.
On April 22, Kashmir’s Pahalgam region witnessed a gruesome terror attack in which Islamist terrorists deliberately targeted Hindu tourists. More than 25 innocent Hindus lost their lives in the horrific massacre at Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam.
In the aftermath, Indian intelligence agencies have issued fresh warnings, cautioning of more such attacks being plotted at tourist hotspots across Kashmir. Acting swiftly on these alerts, authorities have closed 48 out of the 87 designated tourist locations in the region to prevent further tragedies.
An India Today report, citing intercepted communications, confirmed that several sleeper cells in the valley have been activated following the Pahalgam attack and India’s subsequent crackdown. These cells have been directed to begin operations, with instructions to plan even larger-scale attacks than the one seen in Pahalgam.
Reportedly, this escalation is a retaliatory move after Indian security forces demolished several properties belonging to terrorists in Kashmir.
The April 22 attack was carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists, who specifically targeted Hindu tourists in Baisaran Valley. In response to the bloodshed, India initiated a series of decisive countermeasures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Houses of identified terrorists in the valley were demolished, and widespread detentions of terrorist sympathisers across Kashmir were carried out.
Additionally, India has cancelled visas of all Pakistani nationals residing in the country, including those on medical grounds, with the exception of persecuted Hindus staying on Long Term Visas.
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