Srinagar: A disturbing video, reportedly filmed on the day of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, has gone viral, sparking widespread outrage and speculation on social media. The clip, shared by a tourist, captures a zipline operator allegedly uttering the phrase “Allahu Akbar” just moments before gunfire erupted at the scene.
The video, recorded by Rishi Bhat, a tourist from Ahmedabad, shows the operator speaking the religious phrase three times before his turn on the zipline. Bhat, in an interview with Times Now, claimed the operator looked around nervously before the attack began, fueling suspicions that the operator might have had prior knowledge of the assault.
Social media users quickly reacted, with some suggesting the operator’s words were a sign of complicity in the attack. One user speculated, “Looks like the operator knew what was about to happen.”
However, PDP spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Trumboo has strongly refuted these claims, describing them as a “gross misinterpretation of Kashmiri cultural norms.” In a statement issued to a news agency, Trumboo explained that religious expressions like “Allahu Akbar” are commonly used in Kashmir, especially during moments of stress, uncertainty, or crisis.
“They don’t know anything about our culture. Whenever there is a disaster, every Kashmiri says Allahu Akbar… At the time of any incident, we remember Allah,” Trumboo clarified, emphasizing that such phrases are reflexive and should not be linked to militancy.
Trumboo further condemned attempts to frame the zipline operator as being involved in the attack, calling them “misinformed and malicious.” He urged the public and media to avoid inflaming tensions based on incomplete or misleading information.
“There is a deeper institutional failure at play. Everything is being done to hide the failure. The police and security forces will have to reassess their system,” Trumboo added, pointing out larger systemic issues behind the attack, which resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people, mostly tourists.
