New Delhi: A doctor and six laborers were killed in a terrorist attack on the campsite of a tunnel construction company in Kashmir‘s Ganderbal district on Sunday night. Pakistan-based terrorist organization ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF) has taken responsibility for this attack. TRF is a part of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Another Pakistan-based terrorist organization ‘People’s Anti-Fascist Front’ (PAFF) has praised TRF and called it a strategic attack. PAFF says that this attack was carried out to disrupt the deployment of the Indian Army towards the eastern border. PAFF also mentioned “Chinese friends” in its statement, raising fears of China’s involvement in this attack. Is going. However, officials say there is no evidence to support Beijing’s involvement beyond the PAFF’s statements.
Where did the attack take place?
The attack took place at the construction site of the 6.5 km long Z-turn tunnel being built on the Srinagar-Leh highway. This tunnel will serve as an all-weather connectivity facility between Kashmir and Ladakh. This tunnel, being built by UP-based APCO Infratech, is scheduled to be inaugurated in early November. Officials said the project’s timeline remains unchanged.
Understand the plan of the terrorist organization
PAFF said in its statement that military projects in the occupied territory are death traps, so every sane person should avoid them. However, officials say such infrastructure has dual uses in sensitive areas, so portraying the tunnel as solely a military project may be misleading.
The TRF claimed that its ‘Falcon Squad’ targeted the construction site, and described the project as primarily meant for military transport. It also reiterated its warning to locals and non-locals to avoid working on “illegal projects”. The group expressed regret for civilian casualties but warned of further attacks on similar infrastructure efforts.
How did you attack?
According to intelligence officials, the attack was carried out on the orders of TRF chief Sheikh Sajjad Gul, on whom the NIA had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh in 2022. At around 8.15 pm, two to three Pakistani terrorists armed with automatic weapons entered the campsite and opened fire on the workers gathered for dinner in the mess area.
The victims include three laborers from Bihar – Faheem Naseer, Mohammad Hanif and Abdul Kalam – along with Anil Shukla from Madhya Pradesh, Gurmeet Singh from Punjab, architectural engineer Shashi Bhushan Abrol from Jammu and Dr Shahnawaz Ahmed Dar from Kashmir’s Budgam district. .
There is a lot of protest against the attack in the valley.
The incident drew widespread condemnation across Kashmir and rallies and candlelight vigils were held to express solidarity with the victims’ families. Residents from different backgrounds participated in a remarkable march in Tangmarg led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in collaboration with local associations. Similar events took place in Boniyar and Pulwama, where community leaders like Shoaib Pathan and Mudasir Dar condemned the violence.
Residents of the village of slain doctor Shahnawaz Dar in Budgam district raised slogans against CM Omar Abdullah for not visiting his house to express condolences. In the evening, ministers Javed Dar and Sakina Ittu arrived to meet the family.
An NIA team had reached Ganderbal on Monday to investigate whether cross-border organizations were directly involved in the attack, the deadliest terrorist attack in 2024 after the killing of nine pilgrims in Reasi district on June 9. Security forces have started a search operation in the forests around Ganderbal to trace the attackers. They are intensifying efforts to secure sensitive projects, especially those of strategic importance on the Eastern Front.