Kalma at gunpoint or shot dead point blank—survivors recall Pahalgam massacre, crawling to safety

Terrorists have used this tactic to select targets in the past as well, like in 2012 attack on Hotel Silver Star in Srinagar, and Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery attack in 2016.

The deserted park at Baisaran where terrorists unleashed the deadly attack on tourists on Tuesday | Sajid Ali | ThePrint

Pahalgam: “Whoever recited Kalma were spared, the rest were shot at point blank range,” recalled Aijaz, a 38-year-old photographer who recited the Islamic verses when confronted at gunpoint by the terrorists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran.

The photographer’s statement was corroborated by several eyewitness accounts, which mentioned how tourists were felled by bullets when they could not recite Kalma.

This tactic, according to sources in the security establishment, has been used by terrorists to select their targets in the past as well in Kashmir.

In the early 2000s, terrorists had stopped a bus and asked passengers to recite Kalima. Those who could not were killed, the sources said. Another such episode took place in the 2012 terror attack on Hotel Silver Star located on the outskirts of Srinagar. A hotel staff was killed and several others injured in the attack.

The same tactic was also used in Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery attack in 2016 that claimed 22 lives. Most of the victims were foreigners. The terrorists had asked hostages to recite verses from the Quran, sparing those who could comply.

“This is a common tactic they have used a lot in the past. This tells us that these are all foreign terrorists who infiltrated from Pakistan,” a source in the security establishment said.

Aijaz broke down several times while describing the carnage that unfolded Tuesday. “When I first heard the gun shots, I thought it might be some tourists celebrating their birthday. But within seconds, one gunman rounded up me and another man. After I recited Kalma, they shouted ‘Leto‘ (lie down). The other guy couldn’t recite and he was shot dead at point-blank range. It happened just 8 ft away from me,” he said.

Like Aijaz, Ahmed was spared by the terrorists and he had to crawl the ground at Baisaran park before crossing the fence to safety. “When we reached the fence, there were 7-8 tourists who weren’t able to climb the fence, but we managed to help them and flee,” he said in a trembling voice.

Twenty-six tourists have been confirmed dead and several others injured in what is being called the deadliest attack on civilians in the Kashmir Valley in a decade.

The terrorists, including two locals, armed with AK47 assault rifles and M4 carbines, carried out the dastardly attack in 40 minutes. They were also armed with revolvers and sword, according to eyewitnesses.

“I didn’t see them slitting the throat (of the victim) but it (the body) was fully soaked in blood,” Aijaz said. “They (the terrorists) had sharp looks. They were wearing Khaki-coloured outfits. They had short beards and would not be more than 26-27-year-olds.”

The terrorists, he said, spoke in broken Urdu “which didn’t sound like any of the accents we are familiar with, like Bengali, Gujarati, Haryanavi or even Kashmiri.”

“From a distance, they looked like tourists so none paid any attention. But once they unleashed the terror, it was like a Qayamat (Doomsday),” he added.

‘Will never visit Kashmir again’

As the police could not reach the spot in time, pony and horse ride operators present in the area helped evacuate tourists. In fact, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the only local to be killed in the terrorist attack, was one such operator.

Located around 7 km east of Pahalgam town, the lush green hilltop meadow of Baisaran can be accessed either by foot or ponies. It roughly takes an hour to get to the Baisaran park, which is enclosed with a chain-link fencing and has only one entry and exit with no access to transport.

Security personnel at the park at Baisaran | Sajid Ali | ThePrint

Pony Association head Abdul Waheed Wani, who was also seen in videos helping the grieving women, said the delay in rescue was due to poor road access to the place and weak mobile network.

“I was the first person for rescue efforts to get to the spot after I got a call from the local SHO. I reached there at 2:35 p.m. and witnessed mourning women crying for help. I helped to lift 4-5 of the injured people on ponies,” Waheed said.

The injured were rushed to Pahalgam Hospital, Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag and Army’s base hospital in Badambagh, Srinagar.

Vinu Bhai from Bhavnagar, Gujarat had come to Baisaran with his wife on Tuesday morning. The 62-year-old escaped with a bullet injury on right hand.

“When we heard people running and screaming, we also started running. I don’t know where I went. For a moment, I lost my wife but fortunately I found her outside the park,” Vinu said while receiving treatment at GMC, Anantnag.

“I will never visit Kashmir again,” he said with a shudder.

With inputs from Ananya Bhardwaj

(Edited by Tony Rai)