A year after Pahalgam attack, survivors and families continue to grapple with loss and trauma

A year after the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, survivors and families of victims continue to live with grief, trauma and lasting disruption.

The attack, carried out at the Baisaran meadow, saw armed terrorists open fire on tourists after reportedly separating men from women and children. It was one of the deadliest civilian incidents in the region in recent years.

Among the most widely remembered images from the attack was that of Himanshi Narwal sitting beside her husband, Indian Navy officer Vinay Narwal, who was shot dead just days after their wedding. The photograph came to symbolise the human cost of the attack.

A year later, Narwal has resumed work in Gurugram, but her family says the trauma persists, describing the loss as something they are “living… every single day.” Earlier accounts from the time of the attack had also highlighted delays in medical assistance and the circumstances in which victims were shot, adding to the distress faced by survivors.

Meanwhile, many families are still waiting for support promised in the aftermath. Asavari Jagdale, whose father was killed, said the past year had been extremely difficult, adding that families were still struggling while awaiting fulfilment of assurances made by authorities.

The wife of another victim said she had to turn a temporary job into a permanent means of survival after her husband’s death, noting that while some financial assistance was received, promises such as government employment remain pending.

In one case, a four-year-old child who witnessed his father being shot has not spoken about the incident since, his family said.

Among those killed was Adil Hussain Shah, a local pony handler working at Baisaran. His wife, Gulnaz Akhtar, later moved back to her parental home and has been managing household expenses without a steady income.

Abdul Waheed Wani, another pony handler who reached the site after the firing, described seeing injured tourists and bodies at the location.

Families of victims have said compensation was announced after the attack, but some have said that employment-related assurances remain pending.Following the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, carrying out missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes targeted camps linked to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and included multiple sites identified as launchpads.

The operation marked a sharp escalation, triggering cross-border shelling, drone activity and retaliatory strikes between India and Pakistan over the next few days before a ceasefire was reached on May 10, 2025.