New Delhi: Pakistani newspapers have condemned the Pahalgam attack, dismissing India’s allegations as baseless. They labeled the accusations as “RAW’s poisonous propaganda”, describing the claims as “fabricated” and a “false-flag operation” orchestrated by the Indian government. Pakistani media has also accused the Modi administration of exploiting the attack for political gain and playing the religious card, with the Pakistani daily Roznama Express suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might stage more Pulwama-like attacks.
In one of the deadliest terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, 26 people were killed and several others injured. The attack, which targeted the popular tourist destination of Baisaran Valley, occurred while US Vice-President J.D. Vance is in India for a 4-day visit.
Sources told ThePrint that all four terrorists involved in the attack are from the Pakistan-based LeT, despite The Resistance Front (TRF) claiming responsibility. The TRF, they said, is a front for LeT, used to portray the attack as the work of an indigenous group.
Pakistani English news website, The News, wrote, citing Pakistani sources, that “the Indian authorities have staged another false flag operation with reported killing of tourists.”
“They (sources) said that soon after the terror attack, the Indian social media, particularly which is associated with the enemy’s hostile agency RAW, started unleashing poisonous propaganda against Pakistan,” says The News article. “The sources said that it happens that India stages a false-flag operation at a time when any foreign dignitary is on visit to the country to deviate the world’s attention from the Indian government’s failure to control the security situation.”
The Pakistani media also referred to Kashmir as “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)”.
The report further condemned the attack and wrote, “India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency. Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.”
The News in its extensive report wrote that “India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked IIOJK´s limited autonomy in 2019.”
The report adds that in recent years, authorities have promoted this mountainous region as a winter skiing destination and a vacation spot to escape the extreme heat experienced in other parts of India. In 2024, around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir, most of whom were domestic tourists, it says.
The report notes that in 2023, India hosted a G-20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under heavy security, aiming to showcase what officials described as a “return to normalcy and peace”, largely following the “massive crackdown”. It further highlighted the development of several resorts in Kashmir, some of which are being constructed near the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC), dividing the region between India and Pakistan. The article accused the Modi-led government of staging false-flag operations in the past to conceal its “failures” and advance political agendas.
Most leading English newspapers, including Dawn and The Express Tribune, carried the Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s statement condemning the incident while denying India’s allegations. The Ministry, while expressing its condolences, said it was “concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives.”
Also read: Pahalgam terror attack: Not any Intelligence Bureau team, Hindu tourists were the target
‘Modi may carry Pulwama-like attacks in the future’
Pakistani Urdu newspaper Roznama Express also strongly targeted the Modi government over the Pahalgam attack.
In its report, it stated that following the attack in the tourist area of Pahalgam in Occupied Kashmir, leaders of India’s ruling BJP, the Indian media, and social media accounts linked to the intelligence agency RAW had launched their usual “fabricated and poisonous propaganda, proving their hostility towards Pakistan”
The newspaper alleged that the Modi government is turning the attack into a “communal drama”.
“The attack was also a drama to target non-Muslims using the religion card. They (sources) said India traditionally tries to divert the world’s attention from the security situation in occupied Kashmir by staging a false flag drama during a foreign leader’s visit or any important occasion, which is beyond the control of the Indian government,” the newspaper Roznama Express wrote.
The report further quoted sources as saying it was no coincidence that the attack on tourists in Occupied Kashmir occurred during Vance’s visit to India. It added that the Modi government had, in the past too, staged false-flag operations repeatedly to serve political interests and “hide its failures”.
Roznama Express cited US President Bill Clinton’s 2000 visit to India, alleging that Indian agencies orchestrated the Chattisinghpora massacre in Anantnag district—where dozens of Sikhs were killed—to discredit the Kashmir liberation movement.
It caegorised the Pahalgam incident as the second major attack after the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019.
“After revoking Occupied Kashmir’s special status and carrying out the worst crackdown on Kashmiris, India hosted the G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under heavy security in 2023 to project a sense of normalcy,” the article said.
Another Pakistani newspaper Roznama Dunya in its report alleged that Modi may carry out more “Pulwama-like” attacks in the future.
Roznama Dunya claims that India has previously leveled similar false accusations against Pakistan, and that past “false-flag operations by India in Occupied Kashmir have already been exposed”.
“Modi also staged the Pulwama drama in 2019 to divert attention from the internal situation. Experts say Modi may carry out more false flag operations to hide his failures,” Roznama Dunya claimed in its report.
The Pakistani Urdu newspaper Urdu Point described the scene of the incident, referring to Pahalgam as a “Mini Switzerland” popular with tourists. Citing eyewitnesses, the report stated that during the shooting, people fled across open fields in a desperate attempt to save their lives, with no shelter in sight.
The newspaper also reported that among the deceased were an Indian Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau official.
“Since the shooting incident, the area is engulfed in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. After the attack, the Indian Army has launched an operation in the region,” the newspaper wrote.
Following the attack, social media was abuzz with claims that all the tourists targeted were affiliated with government agencies. However, sources dismissed this as a “blatant lie”, ThePrint reported. There was no IB team vacationing in Pahalgam Tuesday when the attack took place. The terrorists primarily targeted Hindu tourists, although a local Muslim man was also among the victims.
In its report, Dawn Urdu described the scenic beauty of Pahalgam, noting that the town that lies about 90 km, nestled in a lush grassy meadow, has often served as a picturesque backdrop in Indian films. The newspaper also highlighted that Pahalgam lies along the route of the annual Amarnath Yatra—a Hindu pilgrimage—making it one of the “most protected areas” in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Describing the attack as “brutal”, Dawn Urdu reported that the entire region is in shock. It added that an unknown group had claimed responsibility for the attack, which several Indian agencies identified as The Resistance Front.
Sources in security establishments have told ThePrint that all terrorists involved in the attack are from the Pakistan-based LeT.
Dawn also referred to Bill Clinton’s 2000 visit to Delhi as well as the Chattisinghpora massacre, adding that there was controversy over who carried it out.
“At that time, India blamed Pakistan-based militants, but Indian and Kashmiri observers described it as an alleged conspiracy by the Indian Army,” the newspaper wrote.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Kharge says Pahalgam ‘direct attack’ on the Indian state, urges govt to convene all-party meeting
