Bloodshed in Paradise: Pahalgam Attack Exposes Pakistan's Terror Strategy

(The Pahalgam terror attack exposed Pakistan's ongoing support for cross-border terrorism, demanding India's united political, military, and societal response to defend national security.)

The horrific terrorist attack at Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley on 22 April 2025 has once again exposed the fragility of peace in the region and Pakistan's continued support for cross-border terrorism. As India mourns the loss of 26 innocent lives, this tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the urgent need for national unity in the face of such barbaric acts. The attack, deliberately targeting Hindu tourists in one of Kashmir's most picturesque locations, has reignited tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours and demands a unified response from all sections of Indian society.

A Historical Pattern of Aggression: Pakistan's Terror Campaign Since 1947

The Pahalgam attack represents yet another chapter in Pakistan's long history of aggression against India. Since the partition in 1947, Pakistan has consistently used terrorism as a state policy to destabilise India. The first Kashmir War of 1947-48 began when Pakistan feared Kashmir would accede to India and sent tribal forces to occupy parts of the princely State. This pattern of aggression continued with the 1965 war, following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency.

The 1971 war, precipitated by the political crisis in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), saw Pakistan launch Operation Chengiz Khan, bombing Indian airfields. However, India's military prowess led to Pakistan's humiliating defeat and the creation of Bangladesh, with approximately 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering to Indian forces.

In subsequent decades, Pakistan shifted its strategy towards proxy warfare, supporting terrorist groups to wage a "thousand cuts" against India. The 1989 uprising in Kashmir saw Pakistan capitalising upon the resistance movement to undermine Indian control. The 1999 Kargil War, 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai siege, which killed 166 people, including 6 Americans, all bear Pakistan's fingerprints, with the latter attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group with alleged ties to Pakistan's intelligence agency.

The February 2019 attack on Indian paramilitary forces in Pulwama, claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, killed at least forty soldiers and led to Indian air strikes on terrorist camps within Pakistani territory. This historical record demonstrates Pakistan's unwavering commitment to using terrorism as a strategic tool against India.

The Pahalgam Massacre: Religious Targeting and Cold-Blooded Execution

The Pahalgam attack stands out for its brutality and explicit religious targeting. On 22nd April 2025, five terrorists armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s entered the tourist spot of Baisaran Valley, surrounded by dense pine forests and accessible only on foot or horseback. The attackers, wearing military-style uniforms, deliberately singled out Hindu tourists in a meticulously planned assault.

Survivors recounted how the terrorists asked for the names and religions of the victims before shooting them. Some tourists were forced to recite the Islamic verse of Kalima to segregate them by religion. Men were forced to remove their trousers to check for circumcision before being shot at point-blank range. Video footage captured scenes of panic with injured victims pleading for help and bodies strewn across the ground.

Of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists and one was a local Muslim pony operator named Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who heroically tried to protect the tourists by wrestling a gun from one of the attackers before being shot. The remaining victims included tourists from 15 different Indian States and Nepal, demonstrating the nationwide impact of this tragedy. The attackers even took selfies with dead bodies, displaying a disturbing level of depravity.

The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility before retracting their statement four days later. Intelligence reports suggest the same terror module was also responsible for killing six labourers and a doctor in 2024.

India's Decisive Response and Escalating Tensions

The Indian government's response to the Pahalgam attack has been swift and multi-pronged. India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and implemented several retaliatory measures:

·          Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, potentially restricting Pakistan's water supply

·          Expulsion of Pakistani diplomats and closure of borders

·          Severing diplomatic ties and suspending visas for Pakistani nationals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the "perpetrators and conspirators" of the Pahalgam attack will be "served with the harshest response". He asserted that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India's response. As Modi stated, "it is the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism".

Border skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani forces began along the Line of Control on 24th April 2025, and India closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines on 30th April. These developments have led to what many analysts describe as the most significant bilateral confrontation since 2019.

Politics Over National Security: Opposition Opportunism Amid Crisis

Even as the nation grapples with this tragedy, certain opposition elements have unfortunately chosen to politicise the issue for electoral gain. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Prime Minister Modi for not attending an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam attack, questioning why Modi was addressing an election rally in Bihar instead. This criticism comes despite Modi giving the armed forces "complete operational freedom" to respond to the attack.

While Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi appropriately stated that "those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack must pay the price" and that the Government has the opposition's "100 per cent support", his party colleagues have been less united in their stance. Such political point-scoring during a national security crisis inadvertently provides Pakistan with propaganda material to deflect blame and sow division.

Pakistan routinely quotes Indian opposition leaders' criticisms in international forums to claim that even Indians don't support their Government's position. This weakens India's diplomatic offensive and emboldens our adversaries.

It may be recalled that during the 1971 Indo-Pak War and again in 1991 during economic crisis, then opposition leaders Vajpayee and Advani stood with the Government during the crisis without giving adverse comments for their political gains.   Sadly, some present-day opposition leaders lack that maturity. 

Religious Unity in Crisis: The Need for Stronger Condemnation

While several Muslim organisations have condemned the terror attack, with the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) pausing its protest programmes against the Waqf law for three days in solidarity with the victims' families, a more forceful rejection of Pakistan's terror tactics is needed.

Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, head of the All-India Imam Organisation, announced that imams of more than 5.5 lakh mosques would give a strong message against terrorism during Friday prayers. He rightly stated that "killing innocent people based on religion is not only against Islam, but against humanity".

However, these condemnations must explicitly name Pakistan as the sponsor of terrorism to counter the narrative that seeks to divide Indians along religious lines. The terrorists' deliberate targeting of Hindus aims to create communal discord within India, a strategy that can only be defeated through unequivocal condemnation from all religious communities.

Elections and Security: The Governance Challenge in Jammu and Kashmir

The Supreme Court's December 2023 directive to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 came despite the Government's concerns about security readiness. Following the August 2019 revocation of Article 370 and the region's special status, Kashmir had witnessed relative calm and development progress until the recent elections.

The Legislative Assembly elections held between 18 September and 1 October 2024 resulted in the INDIA alliance winning a majority, with the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) emerging as the single largest party. However, this political transition has coincided with a resurgence in terrorist activity.

While law and order in Jammu and Kashmir now falls primarily under the purview of the State Government, opposition parties have focused their criticism exclusively on Prime Minister Modi for political gain, rather than holding the Chief Minister accountable for local security failures.

International Media: Whitewashing Terror

The Western media's coverage of the Pahalgam attack has been problematic, with major outlets like the New York Times, BBC, CNN, Reuters, and the Guardian referring to the perpetrators as "militants" or "gunmen" rather than terrorists, and describing the massacre as a "shooting". This semantic softening downplays the ideological and religious motives behind the attack.

The US government's House Foreign Affairs Committee publicly rebuked the New York Times, replacing "militants" with "terrorists" in bold red in an edited version of their headline, declaring that this attack was "unequivocally a terrorist act".

The Path Forward: Unity Against Terror

In this moment of national crisis, India must stand united against terrorism. The government should pursue a multi-dimensional strategy:

1.      Maintain diplomatic pressure on Pakistan while building international consensus against state-sponsored terrorism

2.      Strengthen security apparatus in Kashmir without compromising on development initiatives

3.      Engage constructively with all political stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir

4.      Counter radicalisation through community outreach and education

Political parties must prioritise national security over electoral considerations. Opposition criticism, when necessary, should be constructive rather than divisive. Religious leaders from all communities must vociferously condemn terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and promote interfaith harmony.

The Pahalgam attack is not merely an assault on tourists; it is an attack on India's sovereignty and pluralistic ethos. As Prime Minister Modi stated, the perpetrators will face "the harshest response". However, the most effective response will be a united India that refuses to be divided along religious or political lines, precisely what the terrorists and their sponsors hope to achieve.

In the words of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, "The Prime Minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong". On this principle, all Indians must stand together, transcending political differences in the face of this grave national security challenge.

This article was published in April 2025 edition of PreSense