Srinagar, April 20: Security has been intensified across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the first anniversary of the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, officials said on Monday.
An official told Kashmir Convener, senior officers are holding preparatory meetings to finalise a security plan with a focus on religious shrines, tourist hubs and vital installations across the Union Territory.
The attack at Baisaran meadow left 25 tourists and a local pony handler dead. It triggered a sharp decline in tourist arrivals, with authorities shutting nearly 50 destinations as a precaution. Several were reopened in phases following security audits.
Officials said a QR code-based identification system has now been introduced for tourism service providers in Pahalgam to enhance visitor safety and ensure better monitoring.
Security agencies have been placed on high alert following inputs about suspected terrorist movement in districts along the International Border, including Kathua and Samba. Vigil has also been stepped up at major religious sites, including the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Samba, Anuj Kumar reviewed security arrangements in border areas during a visit to the Ramgarh sector.
He inspected checkpoints and police posts, including Koulpur and Kamore, and directed personnel to maintain heightened vigilance. He also visited BSF outposts along the International Border and stressed coordination among agencies.
Officials said security forces have intensified anti-terror operations across J&K over the past year.
Around 46 terrorists have been killed since the Pahalgam attack, including those linked to the incident.
In the Jammu region, operations in Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kathua districts have yielded significant results despite difficult terrain and weather conditions.
On February 22, security forces eliminated a group of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, including commander Saifullah, in the Chatroo forests of Kishtwar district. On February 4, forces killed two terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district. Another commander, Usman alias Abu Maviya, was killed in Kathua’s Billawar area on January 23.
According to the Army’s White Knight Corps, seven militants involved in attacks on civilians and security personnel have been neutralised in Kishtwar district in 2025 and 2026.
Intelligence inputs indicate terrorists continue to operate in the forested tri-junction of Kathua, Udhampur and Doda, though their activity has reduced. Officials said sustained operations, including winter deployments in higher reaches, have restricted militant movement.
However, concerns remain over infiltration attempts along the International Border, with forces maintaining surveillance and conducting search operations based on inputs.
Between April 22, 2025 and April 19, 2026, a total of 51 civilians and 14 security personnel were killed in the Union Territory, officials said, attributing the deaths to a mix of terror attacks, cross-border shelling and encounters.
Of the civilian fatalities, 26 were killed in the Pahalgam attack, while around 25 others lost their lives in heavy shelling from across the border during ‘Operation Sindoor’, largely in the frontier districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara.
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