Singapore condemns deadly Kashmir terror attack

[SINGAPORE] Singapore has issued a strong condemnation of the April 22 terrorist attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region, which claimed the lives of at least 26 people—most of them tourists—and left 17 others injured.

The assault, for which a Pakistan-based militant group has reportedly claimed responsibility, has sparked global outrage. The United Nations, along with several countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, have released statements denouncing the violence. The incident has further heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi renewing longstanding allegations of cross-border terrorism.

“We stand with India in the fight against terrorism,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement released on April 23.

Singapore’s prompt response underscores its firm and consistent position against terrorism. The city-state has long supported international counter-terrorism efforts and maintains intelligence-sharing arrangements with India and other countries to address extremist threats across the region.

The attack occurred in the picturesque Baisaran valley, located in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir, a popular tourist hub in the Himalayan federal territory.

Known for its verdant landscapes and spiritual significance, Pahalgam had seen a recent uptick in tourist arrivals amid efforts by local authorities to promote the area as a safe and welcoming destination. The violence has cast a shadow over those efforts, raising renewed concerns over security and the potential impact on the tourism-dependent local economy.

This marks the deadliest assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and has disrupted a period of relative stability in the region, where the intensity of separatist violence had notably declined in recent years.

Security experts caution that the attack may indicate a resurgence of militant operations in the area, particularly in the lead-up to India’s upcoming national elections. Authorities have since ramped up security measures throughout Jammu and Kashmir, deploying additional personnel to key tourist and religious locations.

According to police reports, the victims included 25 Indian nationals and one individual from Nepal. “At this point, there are no reports of any Singaporeans affected by the incident,” the MFA noted, adding that Singapore’s High Commission in New Delhi is “closely monitoring the situation.”