Indian court rejects petition to rename Pahalgam terror attack site as ‘Shaheed Hindu Tourist Place'

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Punjab and Haryana High Court sought for the victims of Pahalgam terror attack to be referred to as 'martyr' and further looked to declare the site as ‘Shaheed Hindu Valley Tourist Place’.

The judges, in a clear statement, said these rights vest with the government; the court cannot intervene in these policies.

As quoted in Bar and Bench, the court said, "The issue as to whether a particular place is to be declared as a Memorial or be named differently or to declare deceased person(s) as Martyr/Shaheed, lies within the exclusive domain of policy decision of the State."

“This Court, thus, refrains from entering into the field of policy making, which is exclusively reserved for the Executive,” it added.

Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir's pristine tourist location claimed 26 innocent lives on April 22. It was while enjoying the breezy weather and exploring the lush green meadows of Baisaran that armed men held tourists at gunpoint and shot at close range.

The attack is said to have been orchestrated and planned by The Resistance Front, which is an offshoot of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Later, in a U-turn, the group denied any association with the attack. But India has established Pakistani links to attack.

In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7. During the operation, Pakistan's terror hubs were targeted and destroyed with precision. The terror infrastructure in the country was heavily damaged, and this is new India's resolve Defence Minister Rajnath Singh mentioned in his address. He said, "New India doesn't tolerate terrorism, rather it retaliates."