Tit-for-tat will not heal hurt of Pahalgam

THE recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam in India’s Kashmir Valley in which 26 mostly Hindu tourists were killed in cold blood in front of their loved ones has triggered outrage in the Indian subcontinent, with calls for retaliatory action against Pakistan.

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In the days since, tensions between India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full but administer it only in part, have significantly risen. India has already enforced punitive measures against Pakistan by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty which governs the sharing of water.

There is now growing speculation about whether there will be a military response from Delhi. Both India and Pakistan are bristling for war. Hindu-Muslim relations in Kashmir and other parts of India are threatened by the Pahalgam massacre.

Understandably, the carnage in Pahalgam has reignited calls for retribution and nationalist bravado. Even religious leaders who usually preach peace have said India must swop its usual leaning towards ahimsa or non-violence for vengeance.