Pahalgam terror attack: PIL filed in SC seeking steps to protect Amarnath pilgrims

A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court by Advocate Vishal Tiwari in response to the devastating Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 28 lives and many injured.

The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, is suspected to be behind the Pahalgam terror attack on Tuesday.

The outfit, which emerged after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, was formed by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, and was banned by the Union Home Ministry in 2023.

The PIL seeks immediate and robust measures to protect tourists visiting remote and hilly areas of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in light of the region’s history of terror-related incidents.

The petition stated that there exists a lack of safety programmes and guidelines for tourists and general people on how to save themselves when there is a terrorist attack, how to get immediate help and how to hide themselves when attacked.

The plea urges the court to direct the Union and Jammu and Kashmir governments to deploy armed security personnel in sensitive areas to ensure the safety of visitors.

“It is for the first time that the tourists have been targeted and in such large numbers they have been killed and injured. Now it has raised the question of safety and security of the people of the country who visit as tourists mostly in hilly areas and valleys like Jammu and Kashmir,” the plea said.

The PIL also sought directions to protect Amarnath yatris which is scheduled to start from July 3 and sought special force be assigned for the protection of tourists.

“Recent terrorist attacks have raised questions of the security of tourists visiting such remote places. In urban areas it is difficult to attack as there is regular movement of police forces but tourist destinations are geographically different where people can be targeted easily.”

The PIL presses for immediate steps should be taken to protect tourist places especially in hilly and remote areas and stresses that it is the first time that so many tourists were attacked in one go in Jammu & Kashmir, and it points to laxity on part of administration.

The plea by Tiwari stated that, “UN organisation counter-terrorism wing has a set of guidelines for protection of tourists. That is not being followed by India.”

India