New images show execution-style killings of tourists

Baisaran, a two-kilometer-long picturesque meadow surrounded by dense pine and kail forests turned into a theatre of terror on Tuesday for scores of tourists who were enjoying the lush greens when four to five Pakistan-backed terrorists opened automatic fire on them, turning a dream vacation into a nightmare.

- Mir Ehsan and Rahul Singh

PAHALGAM: Baisaran, a two-kilometer-long picturesque meadow surrounded by dense pine and kail forests turned into a theatre of terror on Tuesday for scores of tourists who were enjoying the lush greens when four to five Pakistan-backed terrorists opened automatic fire on them, turning a dream vacation into a nightmare.

New images, seen by HT, show that most of the 26 men killed in the terror strike were shot in the head. The execution-style killings were aimed at scaring tourists out of the Kashmir valley, HT learns. The attack came at a time when tourism was booming in the Kashmir valley and locals were reaping its benefits.

At the time of attack, locals and officials said that more than a thousand tourists from different parts of the country were soaking up the meadow's beauty. It is connected to dense forests of Kokernag in south Kashmir on one side and the Pahalgam Valley on the other.