Homes destroyed and 1,500 detained in Kashmir as India cracks down following attacks

India accused Pakistan of having a connection to the attack — the worst aimed at Indian civilians in more than a decade — claiming that the group that claimed responsibility was backed by the Pakistani military. That ratcheted up tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries, who both control parts of Kashmir, but claim ownership over the whole region.

A statement from the Pakistani prime minister expressed concern over the loss of lives of tourists, and denied any responsibility for the deadly rampage in an alpine meadow on Tuesday — in which gunmen appeared to target Hindu men, before fleeing into the forested mountains before security forces could arrive. Days after the attack, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said they were open to a “neutral, transparent probe” into what happened.

Over the past week, India has suspended visas for Pakistani visitors, expelled some of its diplomats, and halted a decades-old treaty that divides six rivers between the two countries. Pakistan announced tit-for-tat measures. It also suspended cross-border trade and closed off Pakistani airspace for Indian aircraft.

Ruhallah Mehdi, a member of Parliament from Kashmir’s ruling National Conference party, said he had received several messages from residents in the villages where the houses were blown up. “They are sure that these acts were carried out by security forces. It’s easy to understand too — who else would be able to go and blow up houses like that?”

Standing next to a pile of rubble, Thokar’s mother said she would support punishment for her son if he’s found guilty. “But I have not seen him since he joined the militant ranks in 2018,” she said.

She said police had also detained her husband, brother and two cousins.

“They planned this,” said Yasmeena — who uses only one name — referring to the security forces. “Hours before, they locked all the cattle — not just ours — into the sheds, and asked us to put fingers into our ears. When we asked why, they said a blast will happen in your house.”

In yet another village, neighbors said the home of another suspected militant, Ahsan Ul Haq Sheikh was blown up on Friday night.

The blast shattered windows of neighboring homes, broke doors and cracked apart walls. “If it’s one person’s mistake, why should everyone else be punished for it?” the neighbor said.

In recent years, the Indian government has often ordered demolition of houses of those accused of criminal activity, often using bulldozers. Thanks to these incidents, India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has been charged with deploying “bulldozer justice” — destroying homes and livelihoods of the minority Muslim community.

“Such acts serve the agenda of the right-wing on both sides,” said Mehdi, the Kashmiri legislator. “The terrorists that killed these innocents in Pahalgam, and the other right-wing, that wants to communalize this country.”