It’s time to move on
Coming Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Canada, attending prestigious G7 summit for the seventh year running. This is a clear signal that times have changed and he is moving on, and so is India, after the recent hostilities with Pakistan.
Contrast it with April 22nd , when he had to cut short his all-important Saudi Arabia visit , as back home Pahalgam had happened. Terrorists had gunned down 25 tourists and a local Kashmiri in the most brutal way, exhibiting how atrocious they could be. Prime Minister, on his arrival in Delhi, convened a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and rolled out a series of punitive measures for backers of terrorism in Kashmir, based on the past pattern of the country in question- Pakistan.
What followed was a conflict of high intensity, lasting for four days, May 7-10, drawing the international attention and concern as the two nuclear powered rivals were fighting close to a full-fledged war. The limited war was fought under the shadow of their nuclear weaponry.
India used Brahmos missiles and Pakistan responded with Chinese weaponry. The hostilities paused only after India agreed to Pakistan’s request for ceasefire on the afternoon of May 10th.
The three weeks, between April 22 and May 10th spotlighted that an act of terror is rife with dangerous consequences. The cost of this four-day war has not been calculated as yet, nor will it ever be, because when integrity and sovereignty of the country is involved, that is not measured in terms of profit and loss. A crisis is a crisis and it is to be dealt with, not allowed to linger on.
A fact should be acknowledged; that India and Pakistan can, at best manage the historic nature of their conflict, but that the ceasefire will engage them in peace building is an illusion. The history bears a testimony to that. Pakistan, despite having been battered in conflicts with India, has not stopped its trouble-stoking machinations in J&K. India knows it, but the best antidote is to allow becoming a haven of peace. That is possible only when the people are politically empowered in full.
The inauguration of Katra-Srinagar rail link on June 6, 2025, an epoch-making occasion was a major milestone in this direction. This extraordinary journey of time and space has been interpreted in more than one ways, from promotion of tourism, trade and connectivity. But, in 2025, after Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, it meant that this is the time to move past the past. It empowered the people of J&K, and beckoned them to ask for more.
Had shadow of those three weeks persisted, Prime Minister would not have agreed to attend the G7 meeting in Canada. Since he is going there, as the leader of the fourth largest economy and the most populous country in the world, it signals that, at this point in time, as already declared by the Indian army that the ceasefire has no expiry date. So it is time to move on.
Jammu and Kashmir, which suffered from Pahalgam to Poonch, has to draw its roadmap for the future. It cannot always be looking back at April 22 and what happened between May 7 and 10. This is not a metaphor, but a reality, but it is not our future. The train to Kashmir has given green light to move ahead.
In the immediate context, the whole of Kashmir is waiting for the start of Amarnath Yatra on July 3. This year, the yatra, which indeed is a religious pilgrimage of Hindus to the Himalayan cave shrine devoted to Lord Shiva, carries much more meaning for the Valley and the rest of the country. It is expected to prove as a watershed moment, after the April 22 stigma at Pahalgam. The traditional route of the pilgrimage passes through Pahalgam-Chandanwari axis. While Kashmiris have taken upon themselves, as is their tradition and culture, to welcome the pilgrims, it is responsibility of the concerned to ensure safety and security of the pilgrims. Pahalgam of April 22 has delivered its lessons. There is no room for if and buts. This time, the pilgrimage will be a move ahead moment for J&K.
Internally, political fault lines are getting sharper in an unhealthy way. Prime Minister, during his speech at Katra on June 6, while decoding the intent of Pakistan in mounting a terror attack in Pahalgam, listed terrorism as a challenge to holding elections; people choosing representatives of their choice. This very reference had a definitive context; the September-October 2024 Assembly elections in J&K. The face of the elected representatives and Government – Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, was on the dais that time. His plea for statehood and reinstatement of his promotion as CM with all powers, as is the case in other states, filled all the blanks.
Looking back at the past 11 years of the BJP-NDA government, Prime Minister also recalled how the country has progressed, and the benefits of which have flown to J&K in plenty. His speech counted almost all the major infrastructural and human development projects, while building on the theme of tourism transforming economy and image of the Valley which had been in shadow of terrorism for decades, leading to a dismayed conclusion that perhaps terrorism had become a part of their life. They have been unshackled – Kashmir is free to breathe in the changed atmosphere.
This, in fact, spotlighted opportunities which have come with the terrorism-free atmosphere and development that had been eluding J&K for decades. The future can be consolidated if there is overall empowerment. That is necessary for J&K to move lockstep with the rest of the country. Post-Pahalgam of April 22, the PM reflected on solid response to the conspiracy of Pakistan and added; “The power that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown this time they have given a strong message not just to Pakistan but to the terrorist mentality of the whole world. The youth of J&K have now made up their mind to give a befitting reply to terrorism.”
This should open the road for moving on.
