An Indian security force personnel walks amid toppled chairs and tables at the site of a terrorist attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 23, 2025. / REUTERS/Stringer

On April 22, 2025, the peaceful valley of Pahalgam, Kashmir, was turned into a scene of unspeakable horror. 26 innocent tourists, Hindus—deliberately identified and targeted for being non-Muslim—were massacred in a highly coordinated terror strike carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a long-time proxy of Pakistan’s intelligence services and a known ally of Hamas, associate The Resistance Force(TRF).

The attack, reminiscent of the brutal Mumbai 26/11, and Hamas’ Oct 6 atrocities, shocked the conscience of Indian Americans and raged a powerful response across the United States.

Terror Attack on Non-Muslim Tourists: An Attack on Humanity

The terrorists executed the attack with chilling military precision—using advanced weaponry, encrypted communication devices, and entering & escaping swiftly through the forest into Pakistan-occupied territory. It was not a spontaneous act but a deliberate assault on pluralism, peace, and India’s successful return to peace and prosperity in Kashmir after Article 370.

Sharp Reaction Across the U.S.: Indian Americans Protest in Unity

Indian Americans responded swiftly and powerfully. The weekend following the attack saw coordinated protests and vigils across the U.S including Chicago where over 600 demonstrators gathered outside the Pakistan Consulate in a passionate protest, Washington, D.C. a protest vigil at the National Mall, and San Jose, California where hundreds assembled at San Jose City Hall in Silicon Valley, joined by tech professionals, students, and families, calling for justice and stronger Indo-U.S. counter-terror cooperation.

High-Level U.S. Political Reactions: A Unified Bipartisan Response

The response from American political leaders was swift and bipartisan. Prominent figures posted public messages of solidarity with India:

●       President Donald Trump tweeted: “Horrific attack in Kashmir. Radical jihadist terrorism must be crushed. We stand with our Indian friends. Stronger borders and stronger alliances!”

●       Vice President JD Vance, who was on visit to India when the attack happened called the attack horrific and expressed condolences and support for India

●       Secretary of State Mario rubio “condemned the act and expressed the United States' support for India.”

●       DNI Tulsi Gabbard tweeted  “We stand in solidarity with India in the wake of the horrific Islamist terrorist attack…We are with you and support you as you hunt down those responsible for this heinous attack..”

●       FBI Director Kash Patel supported  “ we will continue offering our full support to the Indian Government.”

FIIDS Appeals Catalyzing Congressional Engagement

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) quickly mobilized after the attack, urging elected officials to issue statements and initiate a Congressional resolution. Following FIIDS’ appeal, India Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Congressman Rich McCormick (R-GA) took swift and decisive action.

Their joint statement condemning the jihadi terror attack set a precedent for bipartisan leadership.They called for Enhanced U.S.-India intelligence cooperation, Robust support for India’s counterterrorism operations and A stronger U.S. role in promoting regional stability

Pakistan-Based Terrorism and the Hamas Nexus

This massacre did not happen in a vacuum. There is a common Jihadi extremist ideology of intolerance towards other faiths and practices behind the attack on 9/11, Hamas attack on Israel and attacks in Mumbai on 11/26 and now at Pahalgam.  As evidence of the nexus,  February 2025, Hamas leader Khaled Qaddoumi attended a "Palestine-Kashmir Solidarity Conference" in Pakistan, organized by LeT and associates. This open alliance between jihadist groups highlights the growing ideological and logistical network linking South Asia and the Middle East.

Time to Put Pakistan Back on FATF Watchlist

For decades, Pakistan has served as the world’s most dangerous terror sanctuary—a country where banned groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Al Qaeda  operate openly under state protection, where Osama bin Laden lived comfortably for years in a military garrison town just miles from Islamabad, and where the U.S. poured billions in aid even as its so-called ally sheltered the very terrorists America hunted.

The duplicity was staggering: while Pakistani generals posed as counterterror partners, their ISI intelligence agency nurtured LeT (a U.S.-designated terror group since 2001) and hosted al-Qaeda’s leadership, including bin Laden, who was found in 2011 living in Abbottabad—a stone’s throw from Pakistan’s top military academy. This is not incompetence; it is complicity. From the 2008 Mumbai attacks to the Pahalgam massacre, Pakistan’s “terror campus” remains operational, with global consequences. The world can no longer afford to look away.

Further, Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Asim Munir, just weeks before the attack, delivered an incendiary speech referencing jihad against India. Soon after, Pakistan’s foreign minister publicly justified terror operations as “dirty work done for the West.” This is state-enabled terrorism by every measure.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) must urgently reconsider its decision to remove Pakistan from its "grey list" in 2022. Evidence of continued terror financing, hosting of international jihadist meetings, and direct incitement from Pakistani state actors demand renewed global scrutiny and sanctions.

Why Now? Internal Collapse, External Provocation

The timing of this attack is strategic. Pakistan’s economy is crumbling, its political leadership is in disarray, and unrest is growing. Instigating violence in Kashmir distracts from these domestic failures. It also served as a geopolitical provocation during U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s visit to India—a calculated insult to the strengthening Indo-American partnership.

Trap to Provoke: India Must Respond Smartly, With Global Backing

From the timing of the attack, when the US VP was in India and India’s PM was in Saudi Arabia discussing the full spectrum of cooperation, covering energy, defence, trade, investment, technology, and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. This was obviously a threat for Pakistan’s vision of its and India’s role in Islamic world.

On this background this attack is clearly a trap provoking a challenge. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to pursue the terrorists and their supporters till the end of the earth to bring them to justice and gave freedom for the Indian military to act on. The US must support this war against terror, especially as Pakistan has brought China into the region against American interests in South Asia including Afghanistan.

US Congress Must Pass a Resolution Against Terrorism, Supporting India

It is imperative that the U.S. Congress pass a bipartisan resolution condemning this terrorist attack and expressing unwavering support for India’s right to self-defense. Such a resolution would Strengthen Indo-U.S. strategic trust, Signal zero tolerance for terrorism and Set the foundation for deeper counterterror collaboration.

Support India to Defend Democracy

This is not just a Hindu tragedy or an Indian tragedy—it is a global one. This was a Jihadi intolerance attack on humanity. Jihadi Terrorism targeting pluralistic societies must be met with unity, not silence. Supporting India is not about choosing sides in a regional dispute; it is about choosing the side of civilization, democracy, and peace.

As Americans—and as defenders of freedom and democracy—we must ensure that Pahalgam is remembered not only as a site of tragedy, but as the moment the world resolved to stand united against terrorism and said, with one voice: never again.

 

The author is president of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS).

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of  New India Abroad.)