India has closed its main border crossing with Pakistan, expelled many of its diplomats and suspended a landmark water-sharing treaty following an attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir
Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack and will convene a national security meeting on Thursday to discuss a response to the measures taken by India
Gunmen burst out of forests and opened fire on visitors with automatic weapons in the attack near the picturesque tourist town of Pahalgam
More funerals are being held today for those who were killed. They include a honeymooning groom and a businessman on holiday
There's been no official confirmation yet on who carried out the brutal attack but some media reports say a group linked to Pakistan-based organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba may have claimed responsibility
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short a foreign trip to return to Delhi to meet security chiefs. He's pledged those responsible will not be spared
Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, has seen a decades-long insurgency against Indian rule that has claimed tens of thousands of lives – but attacks on tourists are rare
This video can not be played
Wife of navy officer bids an emotional farewell to husband killed in Pahalgam
Edited by Geeta Pandey in London and produced by Zoya Mateen & Sharanya Hrishikesh in Delhi with reporting by Yogita Limaye, Riyaz Masroor, and Majid Jahangir in Indian-administered Kashmir
India Correspondent
As we just reported, US Vice-President JD Vance has left India after a four-day visit. The attack in Pahalgam happened while he was in the country.
This is not the first time militancy in Kashmir has overlapped with key US visits.
On 20 March, 2000 – just a day before then US president Bill Clinton arrived in India – 36 Sikh villagers were massacred in Chittisinghpora in Anantnag, allegedly by Pakistan-based militants.
The attack cast a dark shadow over Clinton’s visit, prompting then prime minister AB Vajpayee to raise Pakistan’s role directly with him.
Two years later, on 14 May 2002, during the then US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca’s visit, militants struck again – this time in Kaluchak.
Armed men opened fire on a civilian bus and then attacked an army family quarters, killing 23 people, including 10 children, and injuring 34 others.
These attacks, coinciding with high-level US engagements, reflect how militant groups in the region have used moments of international spotlight to send signals – testing both India's security response and the resilience of its diplomatic partnerships.
Pakistan citizen Mansoor on his way to the border to return to Pakistan
Pakistani nationals in India have started arriving at the Attari-Wagah border between the countries after Delhi cancelled a visa exemption scheme that had allowed them to stay here.
Those who are currently in India have been given 48 hours to leave the country, the Indian government announced yesterday.
Meanwhile, Indian citizens who are in Pakistan with valid endorsements have been told to return through the route before 1 May.
Mansoor, a Pakistani national, who came to Delhi to visit his relatives said the move had left him upset.
"Whatever happened [in Pahalgam] should not have happened," he told PTI news agency. "However, the government should not have done this [suspended the visa scheme]."
Shaitan Singh, an Indian citizen from the western state of Rajasthan, was scheduled to cross the Attari border to enter Pakistan for his wedding today – but he is now unsure of what he can do.
"The border is closed… Let us see what will happen now," he said.
India has announced the suspension of a landmark water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. Here's what that means:
What is the treaty?
Signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with World Bank mediation, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governs the sharing of the Indus River system.
It allocates waters from the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India, and the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan.
It also allows India limited use of the western rivers for non-consumption purposes like hydropower.
How does it work?
The treaty has been seen as a rare example of cooperation, even during India-Pakistan conflicts.
A Permanent Indus Commission – with members from both sides – handles the day-to-day work: sharing data, monitoring water use, and sorting out issues.
If things get serious, disputes can be taken to neutral experts or international arbitration, with the World Bank helping to manage the process.
What if India breaks it?
Unilaterally withdrawing from or violating the the treaty would be a serious breach of international law, experts say.
It could provoke a diplomatic fallout, international criticism and possibly retaliatory measures by Pakistan. Millions in Pakistan rely on the Indus system for agriculture and daily needs.
India began reviewing the treaty after the militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in September 2016 in which 19 soldiers were killed.
On Tuesday, it suspended the treaty after the Pahalgam attacks in which 26 civilians were killed.
US Vice-President JD Vance (right) and his wife, Usha, boarding the aircraft on Thursday
US Vice-President JD Vance has left India after a four-day visit. He was accompanied by his wife and children.
During his visit, Vance met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed strengthening India-US ties and the bilateral trade deal the countries are negotiating. He also visited iconic monuments like the Taj Mahal in Agra and Amer fort in Rajasthan.
The brutal attack in Kashmir took place during Vance's stay in India, casting a shadow over his trip. Vance condemned the "horrific" attack and expressed his solidarity with India and the victims.
Asavari Jagdale led the last rites of her father on Thursday
The bodies of victims killed in the attack are continuing to reach their home states.
Social media is full of videos and images of tearful family members performing the last rites of their loved ones. There's plenty of media coverage as the killings have generated a lot of grief and anger across the country.
In the western state of Maharashtra, Asavari Jagdale led the last rites of her father on Thursday. Her father and uncle were killed by gunmen as she watched in horror.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and defence analysts in the country have claimed that the Pahalgam attack could be a possible Indian “false flag operation.”
What is a "false flag" operation?
A false flag is a political or military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent for it.
Nations have often done this by staging a real or simulated attack on their own side and saying the enemy did it, as a pretext for going to war.
The term was first used in the 16th Century to describe how pirates flew the flag of a friendly nation to deceive merchant ships into allowing them to draw near.
As you can read here, false flag attacks have a long and ignoble history.
South Asia “again stands on a knife’s edge” following the attack in Kashmir, writes Dawn, external, Pakistan's leading English language newspaper in an editorial on Thursday.
"No cause can justify the targeting of innocent non-combatants, and the incident must be roundly condemned, the paper said.
However, "India must also look inwards and review its brutal rule in held Kashmir, which has bred immense discontent", Dawn said.
"…When all peaceful avenues for a just resolution to the Kashmir dispute are blocked, it is not surprising that some inside the occupied territory take up guns to express their anger."
"Genuine peace can only come to Kashmir – and the rest of South Asia – when this nearly eight-decade-old dispute is resolved as per the wishes of the Kashmiris, with buy-in from Pakistan and India," Dawn wrote.
Indian soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the India-Pakistan Wagah border post on Thursday
Rather than fuelling a blame game or escalating tensions, the tragic Pahalgam attack should be seen as "an opportunity in disaster" to confront the broader threat of terrorism through collective action against a "faceless enemy," The Tribune, external said in a separate editorial.
"That the attack was timed with [JD] Vance's presence in India does point towards some unscrupulous elements choreographing this lethal act to serve their vested designs," the paper wrote.
The Nation , externalsaid in its editorial that the "coordinated outcry [from India] only strengthens Pakistan’s suspicion that the attack may have been pre-planned, a false flag operation designed with a purpose."
The newspaper said that India's suspension of the Indus water-sharing treaty "represents not just a breach of an agreement, but a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining Pakistan’s security and sovereignty."
Indian newspapers are leading with the government action announced against Pakistan on Wednesday night.
"Terror-hit India pauses Indus pact with Pak," read The Hindu newspaper's front page
"India must speak in one voice in this period of national calamity… The unity of the Indian people is the most potent antidote to terror instigated from across the border," it added.
The Indian Express front page highlighted how people in Kashmir had turned out in protest: ‘Sin to stay silent’: Srinagar to Jammu, towns shut down, people turn out in solidarity, protest attack
In its editorial, the Indian Express wrote: "Nothing can compensate those who lost their loved ones on Tuesday. But the best tribute to those killed in the terror strikes would be for the Centre and state governments to reiterate their commitment to providing a fear-free environment to the people of [Jammu and Kashmir], and to those who visit the [federally administrated territory]. The shikara owner, the tour operator, the cab driver, owners and employees of hotels and inns, entrepreneurs, workers – indeed, everyone has a stake in peace. As the government goes back to the drawing board, it will need the support of all these stakeholders."
It's a view echoed in other papers.
"The onus is now on the political and security establishment — in New Delhi and Srinagar — to work together, uncover the terror networks and linkages, and gather evidence so that responsibility can be pinned on the perpetrators of the violence," said the editorial in The Hindustan Times newspaper.
"They need to do this without constricting the civic freedoms available to residents, especially since the election of a popular government in October 2024."
The Telegraph's editorial board wrote: "New Delhi must build on this show of solidarity expressed by the people of Kashmir so that the State can go on to dismantle the shadowy nexus between militancy and its patrons."
"A lesson that holds true for battle turfs against militancy around the world is that ordinary people hold the key to the outcome of such conflicts. Responding positively to the message sent out by the ordinary Kashmiri against militants would hand New Delhi such an advantage," it added.
On Wednesday night, India announced a raft of retaliatory measures against its neighbour Pakistan. Here's a quick recap:
Pakistani officials, who have denied the country's role in the attack, are meeting on Thursday to come up with a response. Read more here
Protests against the Pahalgam attack, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, are still being held in Kashmir. On Wednesday night, demonstrators came out on the streets in Srinagar, holding a candle-light vigil to demand justice for the victims.
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Protests against the attack continue in Srinagar
Things have been moving fast in the aftermath of the brutal attack in Pahalgam. Here's what's expected to happen today:
Stay with us as we bring you all the updates
The friend of Kaustubh Ganbote, one of the men killed in the attack, has spoken to the Press Trust of India.
Sunil More, a close friend and neighbour, said Ganbote spent most of his life working to expanding his snacks business and rarely took time away from work.
"This was the first time he and his wife had decided to travel outside the city. They planned the trip with his close friend Santosh and his family. Only eight days ago he had told me about the Kashmir plan. He was really excited."
Ganbote had also recently become a grandfather, More said.
Tourism is a vital source of revenue for Indian-administered Kashmir.
Domestic tourism, particularly, has been a vital lifeblood for the region, which has stunning mountains, valleys and picturesque views.
Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, according to official figures. Arrivals have been growing steadily over the last few years.
Yesterday's attack happened during peak spring season and in a part of Pahalgam that is on most tourist itineraries. It is home to one of two routes to the popular Amarnath cave and the Baisaran pine forest that is popular for trekking.
In the hours following the attack, the streets of the popular tourist town were deserted, with many tourists opting to leave Kashmir, cutting short their trips. Tour operators have told local media that many upcoming trips to the region have also been cancelled.
Akib Chaya, a hotel owner in Pahalgam, told the BBC's Newshour programme that tourists had been coming to the region safely for three or four decades.
"They have killed our fellow countrymen. They have killed our hospitality. We are famous in the world for hospitality, they have also killed that," he told the BBC.
Chaya also expressed his anger at the gunmen disrupting the peace process in Kashmir, calling them "bloody animals" and urging the government to offer "some kind of retaliation".
Pakistan’s foreign ministry initially responded to the attack by extending condolences to the families of those killed.
In a statement, the ministry said, “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery."
But in an appearance on local television late on Wednesday, following several measures taken by India including the closure of its main border with Pakistan and the suspension of a historic water sharing agreement, the country's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, struck a different tone.
Dar called India's response to Pakistan "immature" and "hasty", saying, “India has not given any evidence. They have not shown any maturity in their response,” and that the response was "non-serious".
" They started creating hype immediately after the incident," he said on the programme, according to local media.
Pakistan's National Security Committee will meet on Thursday morning to determine a response to the Indian government's measures targeting Pakistan, which include closing the main border crossing, suspending a water-sharing treaty, and expelling diplomats, the country's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, wrote, external on X.
India Correspondent
In recent years, the Indian government has consistently highlighted a significant decline in violence in Jammu and Kashmir, attributing this to its security and policy measures.
In January last year, Federal Home Minister Amit Shah noted a 66% decline in terrorist incidents and an 81% drop in civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Data presented to a parliamentary panel by the Ministry of Home Affairs late last year indicated that terror-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir fell from 286 in 2019 to significantly lower numbers in subsequent years, with only five attacks on security forces reported till November 2024.
But Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam reveals how fragile and elusive peace remains and points to a massive intelligence and security failure, experts say.
In response to Monday's deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, India said it would suspend the Indus Water Treaty – which has been in place since 1960 and survived decades of hostile incidents between the two countries.
The treaty governs water sharing of the water supply from the Indus river and its distributaries. Under the agreement, India has control over the eastern rivers, and Pakistan the western ones. It also allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other,
The agreement also stipulates that India must, with few exceptions, allow water from the western rivers to flow downstream into Pakistan.
The suspension of the agreement is likely to impact millions of Pakistanis who depend on the treaty for their water supply and livelihoods.
People walk on the dry patch of the Indus River, in Jamshoro, Pakistan 15 March 2025
India Correspondent
Given the fraught history of Kashmir – claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled by each only in part – India's response is likely to be shaped as much by precedent as by pressure, say experts.
For starters, Delhi has swiftly taken a series of retaliatory steps: closing the main border crossing, suspending a critical water-sharing treaty, and expelling diplomats.
More significantly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has vowed a "strong response,", external pledging action not just against the perpetrators but also the masterminds behind the "nefarious acts" on Indian soil.
The question, analysts say, is not whether there will be a military response – but when, and how calibrated it will be, and at what cost.
Read the BBC's analysis on the risks of military escalation after the attack here.
Welcome back to our live coverage of developments following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 people were killed after gunmen opened fire on tourists at a resort in Pahalgam.
India has announced measures targeting Pakistan which include the closure of the main border crossing linking the two countries, the suspension of a water-sharing treaty and the expulsion of diplomats.
Some Pakistanis have also had their visas cancelled and have been ordered to leave the country within two days.
India is demanding that Pakistan ends its "support for cross-border terrorism" – something Islamabad denies.
Pakistani officials will meet on Thursday to discuss a response.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest news.
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. We're pausing this live page, but you can head here to read all that happened.
This page was edited by Geeta Pandey in London and produced by Zoya Mateen and Sharanya Hrishikesh in Delhi, with contributions from Soutik Biswas, Ayeshea Perera, Aparna Alluri, Joel Guinto, James Chater, Meryl Sebastian, Cherylann Mollan, Nikita Yadav, Neyaz Farooquee, Shafat Farooq, Yogita Limaye, Nikhil Inamdar, Riyaz Masroor, Majid Jahangir, Ashok Dahal, Azadeh Moshiri, Anbarasan Ethirajan Pinaki Chakraborty, Vikas Pandey, Anahita Sachdev, Antriksha Pathania and Simon Fraser.
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