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print versionPakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD)
— India Chapter
For Immediate Release
Date: 23rd April 2025
Location: New Delhi, India
PIPFPD Condemns Brutal Massacre of Innocent Civilians in Jammu & Kashmir; Urges Immediate Action and Dialogue
The Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) strongly condemns the brutal massacre of innocent civilians in Jammu & Kashmir, during the horrific terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on April 22, 2025. The attack claimed the lives of at least 26 people. The victims include young couples, people on vacation with children, foreign nationals and a 26-year-old Indian Navy Officer, who recently got married and was on vacation.
We express our deepest solidarity with the families of the victims and also the people of Jammu & Kashmir, both of whom have been subjected to unimaginable suffering and trauma through this latest dastardly attack on civilians.
PIPFPD has reiterated time again that killing unarmed civilians in a conflict is not a demonstration of militancy or revolutionary politics; it is an act of spreading terror at the cost of innocent, unarmed human lives. Such actions only perpetuate a cycle of violence and suffering. There cannot be any defending such brutal acts of state or non-state terror.
The inhuman killing of innocent civilians, particularly those targeted for their religious identity, plays into the hands of majoritarian right-wing forces. It makes it easier for Hindutva forces to portray all Kashmiri Muslims as violent terrorists, while in reality the local Kashmiri Muslim population was seen risking their own lives to save the lives of the guests, who got targeted.
The brutal silencing of Kashmiri voices through incarceration, especially of youth, journalists, and human rights activists, is a stark reality that cannot be put under the carpet. This approach by the Indian government has further pushed the youth towards more extreme ideologies and influencers, making peaceful resolution increasingly difficult. As John F. Kennedy aptly said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
Region in Mourning, Outrage across the Country
The terror attack, described as one of the deadliest targeting of civilians in recent years, has left the region in mourning and sparked outrage across the country, as reported by Kashmir Times. The mourning and protest shutdown call jointly issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC), All Travel Associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and civil society groups is a testament to the widespread condemnation of this attack.
Opening Jammu & Kashmir for tourism, while quelling independent, critical, popular voices, is insensitive, provocative and is bound to backfire. It amounts to celebrating amidst the grief of others, inviting counter-violence and further destabilising the region. The attack has already had a chilling effect on the tourism industry, with many bookings being cancelled. This will lead to loss of livelihoods and income for the local population already denied of life with dignity and resources.
PIPFPD has consistently affirmed that Jammu & Kashmir is not a real estate tussle between India and Pakistan, that it involves the democratic aspirations of the people of the region foremost. Armed Indian and Pakistani repression on either side of Jammu & Kashmir needs to stop, and a dialogue made possible, also by strengthening the state and local governance. Indian government ought to prioritise this, rather than expecting the military to solve an age old political conflict.
PIPFPD has also historically condemned violence against citizens and advocated for peaceful dialogue with the people of Jammu & Kashmir. While this is not a time for blame-calling, certain urgent and practical issues must be addressed. First, the failure in security arrangements for tourists and local people, cannot be ignored. Second, the responsible institutions—not just individuals— must be held legally accountable through a transparent process that avoids any triumphalist closure. Third, a credible, time-bound judicial investigation must be initiated without delay to ascertain the guilty and hold them to accountability for the killings. PIPFPD, calls for an immediate cessation of violence, release of political prisoners, and initiation of a genuine dialogue process to address the grievances and aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. PIPFPD reiterates that the conflict must be addressed with patience, systematically and practicably - not obfuscated, denied and repeatedly buried by the use of raw power.
Let us work towards creating a peaceful and just society, where the rights and dignity of all individuals are respected and protected. PIPFPD appeals for peace and sanity and requests all concerned to exercise restraint and not fall into the trap of cycle of violence. We demand Government of India to make sure that the life and liberty of all Kashmiri living across the country be safeguarded and that this violence does not escalate to more cycle of violence and killing of more innocent people.
PIPFPD (India) National Committee
Email: pipfpd.india[at]gmail.com
