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'Allahu Akbar': When a zipline operator's chant on viral clip caused alarm after Pahalgam attack
On April 22, 2025, terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadow, killing 26 people, most of them tourists.
It was a regular April afternoon in 2025. Tourists lined up at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, a place often called “mini-Switzerland.” Families waited for their turn at the zipline. Phones were out, recording what was meant to be a holiday memory. One of those clips would come to show how many remember the day.
A 53-second video, shot by a tourist, began like any other travel clip. Suspended above the valley, Ahmedabad’s Rishi Bhatt smiled at the camera, ready to zip across. Moments before he was released, the zipline operator allegedly said, “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) three times.
Nothing happened at first. Then, faint sounds, like cracks, began in the background. On the ground below, people started to run.
The video captured the opening moments of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the region since the Pulwama bombing in 2019.
Pahalgam terror attack 2025
On April 22, 2025, gunmen opened fire at Baisaran meadow, killing 26 people, most of them tourists. The attack was later claimed by The Resistance Front, a terror outfit linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In the video, Bhatt was still mid-air when panic spread below. He would later say he did not immediately understand what was happening.
“...Firing started when I was ziplining...I did not realise this for around 20 seconds...I suddenly realised that a firing has started and people on the ground are being killed. I saw 5-6 people getting shot,” he told news agency ANI.
‘Said Allahu Akbar thrice, then firing started’
In the days that followed, the chant heard just before the ride began caught significant attention.
“After about 20 seconds, I realised that it was a terrorist attack...He (the zipline operator) said 'Allahu Akbar' thrice, following which the firing started.”
Bhatt also described what he saw next. Families targeted, people running, and the struggle to escape. “I unlatched my belt and jumped down, took my wife and son and started running away...We hid there too.”
His account also included claims that attackers asked some victims to identify their religion.
Who was the zipline operator?
As the video spread, the zipline operator, reportedly identified as Muzamil, came to focus.
“He looked like a regular Kashmiri,” Bhatt told the media at the time.
Investigators from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police questioned people present at the site, including the operator. According to sources, he was called in again as part of the probe.
No official conclusion has been made public linking the chant to the attack.
Muzamil’s family rejected claims of wrongdoing.
“Right now, Muzamil is with the police," his father, Abdul Aziz, told news agency ANI back then. “He was very scared, he started crying at that time. He said, 'Don't say anything to me, something happened here.”
On the chant, he added, “Even if the storm comes, we say Allahu Akbar. What fault do we have in this? Muzamil used to work only with the zipline; he didn't do any other work.”
Mebooba Mufti on the ‘Allahu Akbar’ row
The phrase is commonly used by Muslims in daily life and prayer.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the phrase is commonly used by Muslims in moments of distress, similar to how Hindus say “Jai Shree Ram.”
Questions were raised about security at the site.
“Army presence was everywhere in lower areas, even in the forest. But there was no Army officer at the main location. There was Jammu & Kashmir Police as well as three security guards at the main gate...” Bhatt told ANI.
Political voices also called for scrutiny on the zipline operator. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said the matter needed investigation and that “the truth should come out.”
Bhatt described how firing paused briefly, allowing people to run, before starting again. “When firing halted a little after 8-10 minutes, we started running toward the main gate...The firing started again and 4-5 people were shot.”
He credited local help and the army for saving lives.
“One pony guide took us away from there...We also soon found the Indian Army personnel before us. They gave cover to all the tourists...We felt safe once the Army gave us cover...I am grateful to the Indian Army.”
Operation Sindoor
The terror attack saw a strong response from India.
On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
It was a targeted strike aimed at terrorist groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and others. Over 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes, as per the defence ministry.
