1. The Sad Story of the Pahalgam Attack: Many Lives Lost
On April 22, 2025, around 2:50 in the afternoon, a beautiful place called Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, turned into a scene of sadness. This spot, often called “Mini Switzerland” because of its green fields and tall trees, was full of tourists enjoying their day. Suddenly, five men with guns attacked. They were from a group called The Resistance Front (TRF), connected to a bigger group from Pakistan called Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). These attackers did something terrible—they asked people what their religion was before shooting. They mostly attacked Hindus, but a Christian tourist and a local Muslim were also hurt. They shot people close up, even in front of their families, which made everyone very scared and sad.
The attack killed 26 people—25 from India and one from Nepal. More than 20 others were injured. Some of the people who died were Neeraj, a 33-year-old man from Dubai who was on vacation with his wife; Sushil, a 58-year-old man from Indore who was with his family; and Manish, a police officer from Hyderabad who was enjoying his holiday. This was the worst attack on tourists in Kashmir in over 20 years, and it reminded people of the scary Mumbai attacks in 2008. Families across India cried for their loved ones. A wife in Dombivali lost her husband, a young man in Jaipur was gone forever, and people held candlelight prayers to remember those who died.
This attack broke the peace in Kashmir, where things had been getting better with new elections and more visitors. People in Srinagar, Delhi, and other cities came out to protest, saying this attack went against Kashmir’s way of living together peacefully. Everyone in India was angry and wanted the attackers to be caught.
2. When Did It Happen?
The attack happened on April 22, 2025, in the early afternoon. It was a busy time when lots of families were visiting Pahalgam to see its beauty. The attack shocked everyone because Kashmir had been calm for a while after elections in 2024.
3. India’s First Actions: Fighting Back
The very next day, April 23, 2025, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi came back early from a trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with his team. They were upset about the attack and said Pakistan was helping the attackers. India decided to fight back in many ways:
Catching the Attackers: The Indian Army, police, and other forces started searching Pahalgam. They locked down the area and used helicopters to find the attackers, who ran away to the mountains. They questioned over 1,500 people and destroyed the homes of 10 people they thought helped the attackers, which some people said wasn’t fair.
Finding Clues: A special team called the National Investigation Agency (NIA) started looking for evidence. They asked people to share any photos or videos from the attack. They also shared pictures of three men from Pakistan they thought were involved—Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha.
Border Problems: Starting April 24, Pakistan broke the peace agreement at the border (called the Line of Control or LoC) by shooting at Indian soldiers. India fought back, but one Indian soldier died in a fight in Udhampur on April 24. This made things tense at the border.
4. India’s Online Fight: Stopping Lies and Staying Safe
India also fought back online to stop Pakistan from spreading lies. After the attack, some people on social media said wrong things about India’s army leaders. India’s news team quickly said those were lies. There were also online attacks from Pakistan trying to hack Indian army websites, but India’s tech team stopped them.
India used the internet to tell the world what happened. On April 23, a top official named Vikram Misri talked to leaders from 25 countries, like the US, UK, China, Russia, and France, about Pakistan’s role in the attack. Indian offices in China held meetings to pray for the victims, which helped spread the news. On social media, people shared their sadness and anger with hashtags like #PahalgamTerrorAttack. India wanted to make sure everyone knew Pakistan was behind the attack and that targeting people for their religion was wrong.
5. Stopping the Indus Water Treaty: A Big Move
On April 23, 2025, India made a big decision to stop following the Indus Waters Treaty, an old agreement from 1960 that said how India and Pakistan would share river water. This agreement was made with help from the World Bank, and it had worked even during fights before. India’s official Vikram Misri said they would pause the treaty until Pakistan stopped helping attackers.
This caused problems:-
Water Changes: By April 26–27, Pakistan said India let too much water out of the Uri Dam, which flooded a city called Muzaffarabad. They also said India stopped water in the Chenab River, which hurt farmers in Sialkot. On May 4, India closed another dam called Baglihar and planned to close more.
Pakistan’s Anger: Pakistan’s leaders called this an “act of war” and said they would fight back if India kept changing the water. Pakistan needs this water for farming, so this was a big problem for them.
The leader of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, said the treaty wasn’t fair to his area. The World Bank didn’t know about India’s decision yet. Experts said stopping the treaty would hurt Pakistan a lot because their farms depend on the river water.
6. Pakistan Stops the Shimla Agreement: A Fight Back
On April 24, 2025, Pakistan stopped following the Shimla Agreement, a peace deal from 1972 made after a war that created Bangladesh. This deal set up the border (LoC) and said India and Pakistan would talk to solve problems without involving others. Pakistan’s leaders, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said India was being unfair to Kashmiris and Muslims, pointing to a new Indian law about religious properties.
This made things worse because the Shimla Agreement was important for keeping peace. Pakistan said they didn’t want to talk to India anymore and might stop other agreements too. The US, UN, and other countries asked both sides to stay calm, worried that without this agreement, there could be more fighting.
7. Big Diplomatic Fight: Closing Borders and Kicking Out People
The attack caused a huge fight between India and Pakistan, and they stopped being friendly:
India’s Actions (April 23–24, 2025):-
Closed the Attari-Wagah border, stopping the daily flag ceremony and all trade.
Canceled special visas for Pakistanis to visit India, except for some long-term or medical ones, which were good until April 29.
Kicked out Pakistani military people working at their office in New Delhi.
Sent home some Indian workers from their office in Pakistan and brought back Indian military people.
Stopped buying anything from Pakistan and didn’t let Pakistani ships come to Indian ports (starting May 2).
Pakistan’s Actions (April 24, 2025):–
Kicked out Indian workers and military people, telling them to leave by April 30.
Stopped giving visas to Indians and didn’t let Indian planes fly over Pakistan.
Stopped all trade with India, even medicines, which worried people about shortages.
Made the Indian office in Islamabad smaller, with only 30 people.
One small thing stayed open—a special path called the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims.-named”>Sikh pilgrims. About 500 Pakistanis had to leave India through the border because of the visa cancellations. India also asked the world to check Pakistan’s money, calling it a “bad country.”
8. India’s Attack on Pakistan: Operation Sindoor
On the night of May 6–7, 2025, India attacked nine places in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir where they thought attackers were hiding. This was called Operation Sindoor and lasted 23 minutes. Indian planes called Rafale used special missiles to hit places like Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, Bagh, Kotli, Sialkot, and Muzaffarabad. India said they only hit attacker camps, not Pakistan’s army, to avoid a bigger fight. They said about 100 attackers died, but some people in Pakistan said regular people got hurt too.
India said this was because of the Pahalgam attack. Vikram Misri told the UN and other countries like the US, UK, Russia, China, and France about it. Indian leaders like Rahul Gandhi and a group called RSS said it was the right thing to do. Pakistan said they fought back but didn’t give details. Some people in Indian Kashmir said Pakistan’s shooting hurt regular people.
The world reacted like this:
US: Said India could protect itself but asked both sides to calm down. They told people not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir.
UN, EU, Russia, China, Iran, Bangladesh, UAE: Asked everyone to talk and not fight. Iran said they could help.
UK: Told people to avoid the border area.
Conclusion:
A Sad and Tense Time The Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, was a terrible day that took 26 lives and started a big fight between India and Pakistan. The attackers asking people’s religion before shooting made it even sadder. India fought back with searches, online battles, stopping the water treaty, and attacking Pakistan. Pakistan stopped the peace deal, closed borders, and fought back too. Now, both countries are very angry, and the world is worried because they have dangerous weapons. The sadness from Pahalgam, especially because of the religious targeting, will stay with people for a long time.
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