How the Pahalgam Attack Has affected British South Asians

The aftermath of the Pahalgam incident came to the UK’s streets, having an effect on communities and being discussed in Parliament.

Once a peaceful retreat known for its scenic meadows and honeymooning tourists, this region of Kashmir became the site of a devastating attack on April 22, 2025.

At least 26 civilians were killed.

The massacre shocked South Asia and triggered political fallout between India and Pakistan.

Things heightened as India launched airstrikes on Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan said it has killed dozens of Indian soldiers.

A ceasefire between both countries has since been agreed.

However, both countries accused each other of “violations”, meaning tensions are still high.

The impact has also rippled through the UK’s British Indian and British Pakistani communities.

For many in these diasporas, the incident and ongoing tensions revived painful historical associations, fuelled renewed anxieties, and raised urgent questions about identity, solidarity, and how distant violence reverberates at home.

A Divided Parliament

The Pahalgam attack reverberated in Parliament, where MPs grappled with how an overseas massacre affected communities at home.

Priti Patel led calls for a strong response during a Commons debate on April 30, 2025.

She condemned the killings as “an act of terrorism” and urged action against any groups or individuals linked to the perpetrators.

Patel named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant group with a history of violence, as a key suspect in the attack.

She demanded the UK government investigate LeT’s potential links to other extremists, “including Hamas”, citing national security concerns.

Her remarks reflected Conservative backing for deeper UK-India cooperation under the UK-India 2030 Strategic Roadmap for bilateral relations.

On the other hand, Labour MP Zarah Sultana took a different view and warned against stigmatising British Muslim communities.

She said:

“My constituents aren’t responsible for the sins of states they’ve never lived in.”

Sultana urged MPs to avoid conflating extremism with wider communities, stressing the need for fairness and social cohesion.

Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer adopted a neutral tone, urging “restraint and dialogue” to avoid escalating South Asian tensions in Britain.

He acknowledged India-Pakistan volatility and stressed preventing foreign conflicts from inflaming British streets and communities.

Leaked Home Office assessments warned of potential reprisals, including attacks on Hindu temples and Pakistani-owned businesses across the UK.

Cities like Leicester, Bradford and Birmingham have increased police presence and community outreach in high-risk areas.

Falconer said maintaining public safety while protecting cohesion was now a top priority for the UK government.

Protests

On April 25, 2025, members of the British Indian and Jewish communities gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London to protest the attack.

The demonstration aimed to condemn the violence and hold Pakistan accountable for its alleged support of militant groups.

The protest remained peaceful until a senior Pakistani military officer, Colonel Taimur Rahat, was seen making a throat-slitting gesture toward the demonstrators.

This action, captured on video, sparked widespread condemnation and raised serious questions about Pakistan’s diplomatic conduct.

One Indian protester fumed: “It was an appalling act – the man is supposed to be a diplomat.

“What kind of person does that when 26 people have just lost their lives?”

In response to the incident, the UK Foreign Office Minister, Hamish Falconer, urged all parties to exercise restraint and prevent overseas conflicts from spilling over into British streets.

He emphasised the importance of community leaders calling for calm during this time of heightened tension.

Subsequent protests were held by British Pakistanis.

On May 7, a protest was held outside India’s Embassy, while another protest took place outside the Indian Consulate in Birmingham.

A social media post read: “Join hands, raise your voice for Pakistan. Overseas Pakistanis stand against Indian war agenda.”

Evoking Memories of 2022

The fallout from the attack revived memories of the 2022 unrest in Leicester, when a cricket match sparked three weeks of disorder.

Masked Hindu and Muslim youths clashed in the streets, shouting sectarian slogans and leading to nearly 50 arrests.

British newspapers warned of “communal clashes in the UK” – a phrase more associated with violence on the Indian subcontinent.

Police in Leicester have been on alert, especially after a protest under the hashtag #HinduLivesMatter passed peacefully.

And although a ceasefire has appeared to hold, there is concern over how long it will last and if it sparks unrest in the UK.

MP Bob Blackman said: “We’ve got to make sure the tensions don’t overspill into this country.

“We saw it kick off in 2022, and that was just sparked by a cricket match, whereas this is much, much more serious.”

Some say politicians are struggling to stay neutral.

Tories are increasingly seen as aligned with Hindu voters, while Labour is viewed as courting British Pakistani Muslims.

This was exposed when Birmingham MP Tahir Ali accused Tories of being controlled by “the Indian lobby” for not backing a Pakistani airport.

Tories hit back, calling the claim a “conspiracy theory”.

Political Shifts

Recent political trends have deepened the divide and this could only increase following the Pahalgam incident.

In 2024, Muslim independents unseated four Labour MPs over Gaza, including Leicester South’s Jonathan Ashworth.

Ashworth accused his opponents of “intimidating” tactics.

Meanwhile, Blackman, who has a large Hindu voter base, saw his majority rise and has backed India’s retaliation.

He said: “The reality is that a lot of people passionately care about politics in India and Pakistan.”

In Highfields, a Muslim area of Leicester, the Gaza conflict overshadows even the Kashmir issue.

However, this could change if India takes military action against Pakistan.

Naureen* said: “We’re worried that India will treat this as an October 7 moment.

“We want peace but if India wants a war, we will definitely fight back.”

Impact on Communities

The Pahalgam attack and its subsequent political fallout had a profound and multifaceted impact on British Indian and British Pakistani communities across the UK.

These communities, which have coexisted in the UK for decades, often find themselves at the centre of geopolitical conflicts and historical grievances.

In areas with large South Asian populations, such as Southall in West London, Leicester in the East Midlands, and Bradford in West Yorkshire, community leaders reported a palpable increase in anxiety.

Leicester-based Ramesh Patel* said: “We have built our lives here in Britain, contributing to our society and raising our families.

“But these events remind us how fragile peace can be, both at home and abroad.

“There is a real and understandable fear that the violence we see on television screens will somehow be mirrored on our streets, disrupting the harmony we have worked so hard to build.”

Meanwhile, university student Ayesha Rahman* stated that despite a ceasefire, the atmosphere remains “tense and unsettling”.

She noted that social media was rife with misinformation, inflammatory rhetoric, and outright hate speech that served to exacerbate existing divisions within the community.

Loveneesh*, a shopkeeper in Leicester, said: “It’s just tribalism really, with religion getting dragged into it.”

Others blame online provocateurs for past unrest. A US study by the Network Contagion Research Institute found “influencers” on both sides helped fuel 2022’s riots.

Some came from India, others like Majid Freeman, a Leicester activist jailed for 22 weeks, were local.

Despite fears, many local leaders believe the tensions in India and Pakistan will not spill over into the UK.

Mustafa Malik, a Labour councillor and Islamic Centre trustee, said:

“Just because there are protests outside embassies doesn’t mean there will be an impact here.”

Manjula Sood, Leicester’s assistant city mayor for cohesion, agreed:

“Leicester people generally integrate well. Terrorists don’t represent anyone.”

Even those with divided loyalties call for unity.

Tariq Mahmoud, a British Pakistani activist with an Indian wife, said:

“In England, we live like brothers and sisters, and our first loyalty is to Britain – I would never want people to terrorise each other’s communities.

“But I believe that what happened in Kashmir was a false flag attack, and India is going to go to war over it. We don’t want that, we want peace.”

The Pahalgam attack exposed how violence abroad can unsettle lives in Britain.

For many British Indians and Pakistanis, it reignited memories of past incidents such as the 2022 unrest in Leicester.

But it also showed the urgent need for unity.

As tensions continue overseas, the challenge at home is clear: prevent division here.

Politicians, community leaders, and the media must all tread carefully.

The cost of inaction is not just political – it’s social.