In a tragic turn of events in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, seven people, including a doctor and six migrant workers, were killed in a terrorist attack orchestrated by The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot. According to sources, the attack took place on Sunday evening at a construction site where workers had returned to their camp after a day’s work on the Z-Morh tunnel project, which connects Gaganeer to Sonamarg.
The attack marked the first time TRF targeted both Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris in a single operation. TRF chief Sheikh Sajjad Gul, based in Pakistan, is suspected to be the mastermind behind the attack, with his local module executing the killings. Reports indicate that the group had been conducting surveillance at the site for over a month before carrying out the attack. The victims were part of a team working on the ambitious infrastructure project that has drawn laborers from across India, including a doctor, Dr. Shahnawaz, who was among the casualties.
The terrorists, believed to be in a group of two or three, struck late in the evening when the workers had returned to their camp in the Gund area of Ganderbal. Alongside the seven fatalities, five others sustained injuries during the assault.
The Indian government has responded swiftly, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) dispatching a four-member counter-terrorism team to the site. Sources from the Union Home Ministry have suggested that the NIA may take over the investigation to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the attack.
The incident comes on the heels of another targeted killing of a migrant worker from Bihar in Shopian district on October 18, raising concerns over the safety of migrant workers in the region. Similar incidents have occurred earlier this year, including a targeted attack in April that claimed the life of another laborer from Bihar in Anantnag district.
Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the attack. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi expressed his deepest condolences, calling the attack a “cowardly and unforgivable crime.” He assured that the nation stands united in its fight against terrorism. Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was sworn in just four days prior, also condemned the brutal attack on “unarmed innocent people.”
This latest assault underscores the persistent threat of terrorism in the region, with militants continuing to target both locals and migrant workers.
