Investigators probe deadly attack in disputed Kashmir as India vows to punish perpetrators

SRINAGAR India AP Assurance has been beefed up across Indian-controlled Kashmir a day after an attack killed at least people bulk of them tourists as Indian forces launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of one of the deadliest attacks in the restive Himalayan region and leaders vowed to punish the perpetrators Tens of thousands of armed police and soldiers fanned out across the region and erected additional checkpoints They searched cars and used helicopters to search the forested mountains and in chosen areas summoned former militants to police stations for questioning reports noted Several shops and businesses in Kashmir closed to protest the killings Police called the event a terror attack and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule While senior ministers and Indian authorities have not yet provided details of Tuesday s attack a large section of Indian media and political commentators directly blamed Islamabad for it without citing evidence Defense minister Rajnath Singh vowed to not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil Prime Minister Narendra Modi who cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi early Wednesday was set to hold a special safeguard cabinet meeting later Wednesday Kashmir Resistance a previously unknown militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on social media The group announced officials had settled over outsiders in the region and claimed that those targeted on Tuesday were not ordinary tourists but were linked to and affiliated with Indian shield agencies The group s messages could not be independently verified Earlier this month the local leadership recounted its legislature that Indians were granted domicile rights in Kashmir in the last two years Pakistan offers condolences and expresses concern Pakistan has extended condolences to the casualties families We are concerned at the loss of tourists lives Pakistan s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in a announcement while wishing the injured a speedy recovery Representatives stated of the people killed were Indian tourists one was from Nepal and one was a local tourist guide At least others were injured Separately soldiers killed two suspected militants in a gunfight after they tried to cross into Indian side from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in northwestern Baramulla district along the heavily militarized Line of Control dividing the region the Indian army noted in a announcement on Wednesday There was no independent confirmation of the affair Kashmir has seen tourism boom despite spate of attacks Kashmir has seen a spate of deadly attacks on Hindus including immigrant workers from Indian states since New Delhi ended the region s semi-autonomy in and drastically curbed dissent civil liberties and media freedoms New Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills Bureaucrats have claimed that as a sign of normalcy returning despite the presence of ubiquitous guard checkpoints armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers Until Tuesday tourists were not targeted Following the attack panicked tourists started to leave Kashmir Monojit Debnath from the Indian city of Kolkata reported Kashmir was undoubtedly beautiful but his family did not feel secure anymore We are tourists and we should think about what safety we have here for us Debnath communicated the Press Trust of India news agency as he was leaving Srinagar the region s main city with his family It s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after the day prior s tragic terror attack Omar Abdullah the region s top elected official wrote on social media But at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave Indian home minister visits On Wednesday India s powerful home minister Amit Shah attended a ceremony at a police control room in Srinagar where the slain tourists were paid floral tributes He also met families of several casualties Shah vowed to come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences Later Shah visited the site of the killing at Baisaran meadow specific kilometers miles from the resort town of Pahalgam The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day Kashmir has been divided for decades Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir but both claim the territory in its entirety Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi s rule since Several Muslim Kashmiris help the rebels goal of uniting the territory either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country India describes militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism Pakistan denies the charge and a great number of Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle Tens of thousands of civilians rebels and cabinet forces have been killed in the conflict India has used heavy-handed tactics to maintain its control over the region including giving the armed forces widespread powers to arrest torture and summarily execute accused human rights groups say In March at least civilians were shot and killed in a southern village in Kashmir shortly before a visit to India by then-President Bill Clinton In months before New Delhi revoked the region s autonomy a car bomb attack by militants in southern Pulwama district killed at least paramilitary soldiers and wounded dozens more bringing India and Pakistan close to war Violence has ebbed in the Kashmir Valley the heart of anti-India rebellion Fighting between establishment forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of Jammu region including Rajouri Poonch and Kathua where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks Associated Press journalist Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this document Source