Indian authorities say three suspected militants killed in a gunbattle in Kashmir were responsible for the mass shooting of more than two dozen civilians earlier this year—an incident that brought India and Pakistan dangerously close to another war.
The men, believed to be Pakistani nationals, were gunned down Monday during a joint operation involving the Indian military, paramilitary forces, and local police on the outskirts of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. According to Home Minister Amit Shah, evidence found at the site—including matching rifle cartridges and eyewitness identifications from locals who had previously sheltered the suspects—linked the trio directly to the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed.
Speaking before India’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday, Shah said the killings triggered a sharp escalation between India and Pakistan, culminating in four days of the deadliest cross-border fighting in decades. The brief but intense conflict resulted in dozens of casualties on both sides before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect on May 10.
There has been no immediate response from Pakistan’s government regarding India’s latest claims. However, state-run Pakistan Radio aired a report on Monday alleging that Indian forces staged “fake encounters” and may have executed Pakistani nationals already in Indian custody—allegations that New Delhi has categorically rejected in the past.
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have remained high for decades over Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region claimed in full by both countries but divided between them. Armed insurgency in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which began in 1989, has left tens of thousands dead—including civilians, militants, and security personnel.
India continues to accuse Pakistan of sponsoring and infiltrating militants across the border, a charge Islamabad denies. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the idea of breaking away from India, either to join Pakistan or form an independent state.
The Pahalgam attack shattered a relative calm that had settled in the Kashmir Valley, which has seen fewer violent incidents in recent years as fighting shifted to the mountainous Jammu region. The latest gunbattle and the Indian government’s claims are likely to reignite political friction at a time when the broader security situation in South Asia remains fragile.