All eyes on Pahalgam: What it means and why it's trending on social media 

Viral AI-generated images that have been doing rounds on social media along with 'All eyes on Pahalgam' hashtag.

As the nation mourned the death of at least 26 people in the terrorist attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, a hashtag on "All eyes on Pahalgam" began to trend on social media to attract the attention of international communities. Several posts that carried the hashtag had digital representations of one of the most famous and heart-wrenching photos taken after the massacre -- of a naval officer shot down by the terrorists while his widow sat nearby, in shock.

The couple from Haryana had gotten married on April 6 and were in Pahalgam for their honeymoon.

Ek Bewa Ne Yahi Soch Ke Aansu RokeMere Dushman Mujhe kamzor Samjh Baithenge #AllEyesOnPahalgam pic.twitter.com/hbIsXivIP8
Imteyaz Ghazipuri (@ImteyazHaider72) April 23, 2025

Their wedding reception was held on April 19. Lt Vinay Narwal, 26, had joined the Navy just two years ago and was posted in Kochi. "He was married four days ago. Everybody was happy. We have received the information that he was killed by terrorists, and he died on the spot,” one of his neighbours said. On Wednesday, Narwal's widow Himanshi bid a tearful farewell to him.

#AllEyesOnPahalgam pic.twitter.com/leXHo8mbvw Galadriel Patel (@237Stardust) April 23, 2025

The terrorist attack has sparked widespread outrage and led to people taking a stand against terrorism under the “All eyes on Pahalgam” banner. The AI-generated image of the Narwal couple appears to have struck a chord with social media users across the world. Several celebrities such as Ram Charan, Randeep Hooda, and Vijay Varma shared the image through their Instagram stories to express their grief, along with calls for justice.

The heinous attack has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, and sparked calls on social media for retaliation and sanctions against Islamabad.

The origin of 'All eyes on...'

The "All eyes on...' trend started in May 2024 after an Israeli strike in the south of Gaza resulted in the death of 45 civilians. An image depicting tents in a camp arranged to spell out “All Eyes on Rafah,” an area in the south of Gaza filled with refugee tent camps, had gone viral on social media. It has been shared more than 29 million times on Instagram in less than 24 hours.

The picture was also arguably one of the first pieces of viral activist iconography created by AI, experts said.