6 months after Pahalgam

It’s time to understand how Pahalgam played out in the lives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and raised security concerns  across the country. Kashmir has been reduced to what happened in Baisaran, Pahalgam, on April 22 this year. The tag of the unfortunate day refuses to  go. It is now entrenched in the nation’s collective memory that the tourists were shot after ascertaining their religion, hence  Kashmir deserves to be dubbed as a land of radicals. This is not correct, because Pahalgam of April 22 continues to live on.  There have been  series of events  and high profile accolades for the security forces, but on the ground the ghost of the carnage continues to temper national sentiment.

This is ironical. Pahalgam incident of macabre scale  never heard of in Jammu and Kashmir ever before, was avenged. The Operation Sindoor, launched after the macabre  incident, wrote a new script on counter-terrorism. Boundaries served no hurdles and the message was broadcast all across the world that incidents like these have consequences. There was no  single international forum where Pahalagam  was not mentioned and the global community was asked to deal with the terrorism Indian style. Operation Sindoor reached across the borders to the terror infrastructure, non-state and state actors, killing several of them and their patrons. It was also made amply clear that India  won’t distinguish between the non-state actors and the state that patronizes them. There are no prizes in guessing which country was being referred to. The epicenter of terrorism is next door.

With regard to Jammu and Kashmir, Pahalgam has been brought to the core of the security concerns from across the border to LoC and then to the hinterland. That is good because the country cannot afford to  ignore the threats emanating from different quarters. Home Minister Amit Shah, while reviewing the security situation of Jammu and Kashmir, lauded the role of security forces in improving the situation posy-Pahalgam, but at the same time left a note of caution that the whole threat of terrorism should be neutralized at the LoC itself. High vigil during winters pays dividends in spring and summers.

The adversary on the other side of the border cannot be trusted. Despite suffering huge losses during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has not given up on its destructive plans for Jammu and Kashmir. The very concept of infiltration  has changed a lot – it is not  only the terrorists with arms and ammunition coming to Jammu  and Kashmir from across, now there are drones and silent recruitment through cyber space. The recruitment through physical presence is just an iota of it, the larger picture lies in the influence broadcast on social media and cyber  space. There are layers after layers that should be taken care of.

Today when we are about to  observe and assess the situation six months after Pahalgam, one thing  becomes very clear: the mere mention of this beautiful place and popular tourist spot, comes along with the memory of gruesome memory of April 22. That dominates and overshadows the beauty and serenity of the place, and by extension the image of the wailing woman and children has hurt the rest of Kashmir as well. It is seen as a place where Pahalgam happens. That is a tragedy of monumental proportion.

Pahalgam  has also come to define politics, security and all other issues vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir. It is resonating as a major road block for  the region  and its political and developmental aspirations , from Supreme Court when  the plea for restoration of statehood is made to the national and international narratives.

In simple terms, two things have hurt and harmed  Kashmir the most: Pakistan sponsored  terror act in Pahalgam, and the narrative it triggered across the country. That Kashmir is unsafe for tourists. Kashmir is victim of both.

All  of us have spoken of atrocities and cruelty unleashed by terrorists in the area on April 22, 2025 - where tourists were asked about their religion before being shot in front of their families, including women and children. But we have not spent as much time in understanding the whole genesis  of the issue. We  should be wondering  whether  we have fallen into the trap laid by the backers, financiers and organizers of the attack while talking about the tragedy of April this year?

It was spring time when the massacre took  place. The Valley was  in full bloom and booming with tourists from all across the country and abroad. They had re-discovered paradise of the preceding years, and now they were living their dream in the vale. It seemed as if Kashmir will not see  return to the dark era again. This was consolidating in a belief.

The return of Kashmir to good  old days  and with future beckoning new promises  was not to the liking of the neighbouring country. This was a failure of its all-time investment in Kashmir. It did not want the whole thing to go wreck.

Those who have seen and endured years of high-violence  since 1990 could not recall any tragedy as  horrific as  Pahalgam , though there  were many more killed in the incidents of violence. There were instances when 40 or more were killed in one go, because of an act of terror or opening of fire to quell the protests. Some of the protests and acts of violence from both sides resulted in GoI taking serious note of the ugly developments, and it took stern action. This time around, the Modi government went all out against terrorism and its ecosystem within and outside of the territory. There are lessons that the adversary should  have learnt by now.

J&K has been a witness to massacres in the past, from select killings to the mass killings since 1990. There are countless instances when Hindus and Muslims  were targeted alike.

But Pahalgam is  different. The  carnage was a design  to kill tourism industry and economy of Kashmir alongside  a crude attempt  to inflame  communal passions and trigger riots. There was a  bigger design to project Kashmir as an unsafe destination for tourists and to get Kashmiris defamed. Shouldn’t that be neutralized too, and that can be done by the countrymen alone.