Kashmir on high alert after intel warns of terror plots targeting non-locals, rail network

Srinagar: A high security alert has been issued across Jammu and Kashmir following specific intelligence inputs warning of possible terror attacks targeting railway infrastructure, Kashmiri Pandits, and non-local workers in the Valley, officials said on Friday.

The alert comes just days after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead and marked one of the most brutal assaults in the Valley in recent years.

According to senior officials, inputs point to a coordinated plan by terrorist groups to carry out “audacious” strikes in the coming days, targeting non-locals, members of the minority Kashmiri Pandit community, and security personnel or infrastructure projects.

“In light of these inputs, all vulnerable locations are under close surveillance. Security presence has been significantly increased around railway stations, migrant worker accommodations, and areas inhabited by minorities,” an official said. “Kashmiri Pandit government employees have been advised to work from home as a precaution.”

Security forces have launched intensified area domination operations and are conducting intelligence-based searches to pre-empt any strikes, he said. Checkpoints have been increased, night patrols have been stepped up, and electronic surveillance has been activated in sensitive areas.

The alert has triggered widespread concern of a renewed wave of violence in the Valley, especially following the shock and public outrage that followed the Pahalgam massacre. Authorities have assured that all necessary steps are being taken to prevent further attacks and protect civilians.