Union Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) following the targeted terror attack against tourists in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam. At least 26 persons were killed in the attack, which included foreigners and an Intelligence Bureau official who was on leave, a government source told The Hindu. Pahalgam terror attack LIVE The IB official Manish Ranjan, posted as ministerial staff in Hyderabad was reportedly shot dead in front of his wife and children, the source said. Mr. Shah was briefed about the security situation upon his arrival at the Srinagar airport by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat. The minister is likely to visit Pahalgam, the scene of terror attack on Wednesday. Mr. Shah was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha who was in Delhi at the time of attack. Another round of security review was on at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar till late on Tuesday. Before his departure, Mr. Shah posted on X, “Anguished by the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. My thoughts are with the family members of the deceased. Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.” The Minister added that he briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is presently in Saudi Arabia on an official visit, about the incident. Mr. Modi spoke with the Minister and urged him to take necessary steps and visit the site. Among those who were injured was an 83-year-old tourist from Tamil Nadu and a 65-year-old woman from Odisha. A local Syed Hussain Shah, a resident of Anantnag was among those killed. At least 16 people were killed at the spot while others succumbed on the way to the hospital. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), frontal outfit of Pakistan backed terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The group was created in August 2019 after the revocation of Article 370 to escape international scrutiny. Another government official said that search operations have been launched in the areas surrounding the meadow where the attack took place. The Army said in a statement that a joint search operations has been launched in the general area of Baisran, Pahalgam, The attack comes days after Mr. Shah reviewed the security situation in J&K on April 7-8 following the March 27 incident in Jammu’s Kathua when a group of freshly infiltrated unidentified terrorists killed four policemen. Two terrorists were killed in the encounter while at least three are still absconding as search operation continues. While there have been sporadic attacks in the Kashmir Valley, since 2021, there have been sustained bids to revive militancy in the Jammu region after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Article 370 of the Constitution was read down by the Parliament on August 5, 2019. This is the first big terror attack targetted against civilians in the Valley since 2019.