After a longish lull post the Pulwama attack of 2019, Kashmir is back in the news with the senseless killing of at least 26 defenceless tourists in Pahalgam, a veritable scenic beauty of that state. Survivors of this ghastly attack are traumatised. The victims belong to different states while one is from Nepal. Ironically some of the victims were uniformed personnel on a vacation. They included an officer of the Intelligence Bureau from Hyderabad, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, an Indian Navy officer from Haryana; and Tage Halying, a corporal rank employee of the Indian Air Force from Arunachal Pradesh.
Following this dastardly attack, the armed forces have teamed up to give a fitting reply to the messengers of death. An undercover of the Lashkar-e-Taiba – The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack on unsuspecting tourists. A top commander of the TRF is reportedly trapped in a gunfight with security forces in Kulgam. Following the incident, about 1500 people have been taken for questioning on the terror attack. Prime Minister Modi had to cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and chaired the Cabinet Committee on Security to strategize on a fitting response. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that India’s response will be such that those who perpetrated the attack would be hunted down and so would the masterminds behind the attack. According to reports from the survivors, the assailants enquired the religious identity of all the male victims before shooting them. This is likely to heighten the Islamophobia that is already creating a climate of mutual distrust and religious polarisation in the country today. Normally terrorists do not attack tourists but this time it looks like they want attention for their action and to revive the climate of terror that had largely subsided in the last five years.
In what can be considered a quick response from the security forces, sketches of at least three of the five terrorists suspected to be involved in the terror attack have been released and they are all Pakistanis. This brings back the focus to Pakistan and its propensity to destabilize the western border and keep India on its toes. Following the Pahalgam attack statements have been elicited from security personnel including former Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief, Shesh Paul Vaid who likened the recent attack as a “Pulwama 2.0 moment.” Vaid went further and stated that this attack is a textbook formula of the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7. In a situation where religious fundamentalism threatens to disrupt global peace, nations should bond to put an end to terror provoked by such extremism. This attack also warrants that India takes its internal and external security concerns with utmost seriousness and gives a swift response to the perpetrators without revealing too much. Silent but decisive action to disarm the enemies of peace and not political rhetoric is the need of the moment. Religious fundamentalism of all shades is disruptive to world peace.
