A civilian duty to India after Pahalgam attack

Hundreds of social media handles are active right now fomenting religious frenzy. These people are doing the terrorists' bidding by helping them achieve their desired goal of alienating Kashmir from mainstream India

- Shashi Shekhar

Today on the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world: India will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in its resolve. Everyone who believes in humanity is with us.

Anger was palpable on Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's face as he uttered these words in Bihar's Madhubani district Thursday. This is the first time that an Indian PM has used such strong words in a public speech. These words were like balm to the wounds of those who have lost their loved ones. They also convinced every Indian, hurt by the incident, that the government was not going to stop at a diplomatic offensive alone.

But what would Modi's plan of action be? The answer is, well, impossible to guess. But rest assured, whatever will happen, will be sudden and unimaginable. You can go back to the precedent of February 15, 2019. The entire country was riled by the deaths of 40 CRPF soldiers in Kashmir's Pulwama. While flagging off the Vande Bharat train between New Delhi and Varanasi, the PM had assured the nation that the perpetrators and their supporters of the terror attack would pay a heavy price. Pakistan shouldn't be under any delusion that it can destabilise India. Then, the security forces were given a free hand.