Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, calling it “cowardly” and heartbreaking.
He urged the government to move beyond “hollow claims” of normalcy in the region and take real accountability for the deteriorating security situation.
“The reports of the attack are extremely heartbreaking. Instead of making hollow claims about normalcy, the government must take responsibility and ensure such barbaric acts don’t recur,” Gandhi said on X.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condemned the attack. Kharge called it a “blot on humanity,” while Vadra declared that targeting civilians was a “crime against humanity” and completely unacceptable.
“The whole country stands united against terrorism and strongly condemns it,” Vadra wrote in Hindi.
The Congress has demanded urgent and decisive action from the BJP-led central government, referencing earlier claims that terrorism in the region had been eliminated. Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah had asserted in Parliament that the abrogation of Article 370 had brought peace to the valley, citing a 70% drop in terror-related deaths.
However, the recent attack – the worst in the region since the Pulwama massacre in 2019 – has reignited fears of renewed violence. Eyewitness videos show deeply disturbing scenes of bloodied survivors pleading for help, including a woman begging for her husband’s life.
The 3 PM ambush saw terrorists descend from surrounding hills and open fire on tourists in a picturesque area often referred to as “Mini Switzerland.” At least 12 people were injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently in Saudi Arabia, called the attack “heinous” and vowed justice. “Their evil agenda will never succeed,” he wrote, reaffirming the government’s resolve to combat terrorism.
Meanwhile, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah denounced the attack as an “abomination,” calling the perpetrators “inhuman and unworthy of contempt.”
Security forces are on high alert amid concerns that the attack may mark a resurgence of civilian-targeted violence, which had plagued the region last year.
