On 22 April 2025, a devastating terrorist attack took place at Baisaran near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of 26 tourists.
This report compiles 16 major incidents between 1993 and 2025, documenting terrorist attacks targeting pilgrims and tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. In this report, we will take a look at incidents involving attacks on tourists – 5 times tourists were attacked in the valley, 8 times Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were attacked and 3 times Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims were attacked.
Attack On Tourists In Valley
#1 28 Tourists Killed In Terrorist Attack at Pahalgam
On 22 April 2025, a brutal terrorist attack struck the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 28 tourists and injuring several others. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility. Among the dead were 24 Hindus, 1 Christian, and 1 local Muslim. The attack targeted tourists visiting the scenic valley where they were segregated as Hindus and Muslims, stripped to check if they were Muslim, and asked to recite Kalma thrice to prove they were Muslim, and this triggered widespread outrage across the country. TRF, known for its operations as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out the massacre with the intent to destabilize the region and spread fear among civilians.
#2 Tourist Couple Injured In Terrorist Firing At Pahalgam
On 18 May 2024, a tourist couple, Tabrez and Farah Khan from Rajasthan, were injured in a terrorist attack at Yanner near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The incident occurred as the couple, along with their two children, were getting off a bus to have dinner. Motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire on them, causing injuries to both Tabrez and Farah. The family was on their first trip to Kashmir when the attack took place. The shooting happened amid heightened tensions during the election period in the valley.
#3 Two Tourists Killed In Kashmir Grenade Attack
On 28 July 2012, two tourists were killed, and four others were injured in a terrorist grenade attack in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack took place in Bijbehara town, where terrorists threw a hand grenade at a taxi carrying tourists. The grenade exploded inside the vehicle, killing two tourists instantly and injuring four others. The victims were visiting the region when the deadly attack occurred.
#4 Grenade Attack Kills Tourist In Gulmarg
On 21 July 2008, a grenade attack in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in the death of one tourist and injuries to five others. Terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group breached a security cordon around the popular north Kashmir resort town. They threw a grenade at a busy taxi, killing Ashok Kumar (40) from Uttar Pradesh and injuring Mohammad Yousaf (16) along with five others.
#5 Militant Group Al-Faran Beheads Norwegian Tourist In Kashmir
On 4 July 1995, six foreign tourists, including two Americans, two Britons, a German, and a Norwegian, were kidnapped by the Al-Faran militant group in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Al-Faran, with links to Harkat-ul-Ansar, demanded the release of jailed militants in exchange for the hostages. When their demands were unmet, one of the hostages, Hans Christian Ostro, a Norwegian, was beheaded on 13 August 1995. His body was found near Pahalgam, marking a tragic chapter in the history of militant violence against tourists in the region.
Terror Attacks On Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims
#6 Amarnath Yatra Bus Targeted By Terrorists, 8 Killed In Anantnag Attack In 2017
On 10 July 2017, terrorists attacked a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims near Khanabal, Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, killing eight people, including six women, and injuring 19 others. The victims were primarily from Gujarat and Maharashtra. The bus was targeted by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in a brutal assault during the annual pilgrimage. In September 2017, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Ismail, responsible for planning the attack, was killed in an encounter in Naugam, marking a significant development in the investigation.
#7 Grenade Attack Injures 5 Amarnath Pilgrims In Ganderbal In 2006
On June 21, 2006, five Amarnath pilgrims were injured in a grenade attack in Ganderbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The terrorists hurled a grenade at the bus the pilgrims were traveling in, near Beehama at 12:15 PM, as the vehicle was en route to the Baltal base camp, heading toward the Amarnath cave in the south Kashmir Himalayas. The attack, carried out by militants, left several pilgrims injured, underscoring the ongoing threat to religious pilgrims in the region.
#8 Amarnath Yatra Attack 2022: 9 Killed, 27 Injured In Pahalgam
On 6 August 2002, three militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) attacked the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp in Jammu and Kashmir. The terrorists opened fire early in the morning, killing nine people and injuring 27, including pilgrims and security personnel. The assault occurred as the base camp was hosting a significant number of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, marking another violent chapter in the ongoing conflict in the region.
#9 Grenade Attack In Srinagar In 2002: 2 Pilgrims Killed, 3 Injured
On 30 July 2002, a grenade attack in Srinagar resulted in the deaths of two pilgrims and the injury of three others. The attack targeted a taxi heading toward the Amarnath cave shrine basecamp. The grenade was hurled by militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terrorist group active in the region.
#10 13 Killed In 2001 Militant Attack On Amarnath Yatra
On 21 July 2001, militants targeted the Amarnath Yatra near Sheshnag, Anantnag, resulting in the deaths of 13 people, including six pilgrims and two police officers. The attack involved a landmine blast followed by gunfire, leaving 15 others injured. The incident occurred in the early hours when around 3,000 Amarnath yatris were camping at Sheshnag after crossing the Pissu Top and taking a dip in the Sheshnag Lake. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
#11 Mass Shooting In Pahalgam In 2000
On 1 August 2000, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists launched a mass shooting at Pahalgam, the base camp for Amarnath pilgrims, killing 32 people and injuring around 60. The victims included 21 Hindu pilgrims, seven Muslim shopkeepers and porters, and three security personnel. The attack, which occurred during the peak of the Amarnath Yatra, targeted a crowded area in Pahalgam.
#12 1998 Amarnath Yatra Attack
On 28 July 1998, terrorists attacked a group of Amarnath pilgrims at the Sheshnag campsite in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 20 people. The pilgrims were en route to the Amarnath cave shrine when the militants launched the deadly assault. The attack shocked the region and heightened concerns over the safety of pilgrims.
#13 1993 Terror Attack During Amarnath Yatra
Ahead of the 1993 Amarnath Yatra, terrorists launched a deadly attack on 15 August that year, killing eight pilgrims en route to the Amarnath cave in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The violence added to a series of terror incidents in the region as militants targeted pilgrims and security forces during the sacred pilgrimage. This attack was part of a broader wave of violence that included multiple assaults on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in subsequent years, with notable incidents in 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2017.
Terror Attacks On Mata Vaishno Devi Yatris
#14 Reasi Terror Attack In 2024: 9 Pilgrims Killed
On 9 June 2024, a bus carrying pilgrims from the Shiv Khori cave shrine to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, Jammu, was attacked in Reasi district. Nine people were killed, and 33 others were injured in the assault. The attack was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. TRF also issued a warning of further violence.
#15 Sticky Bomb Attack In 2022 On Pilgrims’ Bus in J&K
On 13 May 2022, a bus carrying pilgrims from Katra to Jammu caught fire after an attack in which four people were killed, and 24 others were injured. Initial investigations suggested the use of a “sticky bomb” in the attack. The J&K Freedom Fighters, a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the tragedy. The attack highlights ongoing security concerns in the region, particularly targeting pilgrims.
#16 Grenade Attacks On Pilgrims In Katra In 2003
On July 21, 2003, militants carried out two grenade attacks on pilgrims near Banganga, two kilometers from Katra, on their way to the Vaishno Devi shrine. The attacks killed seven people, including a four-year-old child, and injured 45 others, with 15 sustaining serious injuries. The deadly assault targeted the pilgrims in the late evening.
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