Kashmir's Quest for Peace

Pahalgam tragedy isn’t just a security lapse, but a humanitarian crisis demanding stronger laws, deeper compassion and long-term investment in peace-building, writes Prof. Promod Das

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THE Pahalgam attack occurred on April 22, 2025, when five armed militants stormed the Baisaran Valley meadows, singledout men from women and children, asking them to recite Islamic prayer before shooting those who couldn't.

Twenty two of the twenty six victims had to stand stark naked in order to prove their respective religious identity. The attackers, believed to be affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group. The Pahalgam attack reminds us the tragic incidence of 1990, when thousands of Kashmir Pandits had to run away from home because of the attacks of militants, reminds us the devastating occurances of Chittisinghpura Massacre in the year 2000, where 36 Sikhs were killed, reminds us the militants targeting the pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra in 2000-2001, the killings of Kashmir Pandits in Pulwama district, the Vandhama Massacre, the pathetic Mumbai terror attack on 26/11, the Pathankot attack on January 2, 2016. Every time their target was the civilians. All these frequent attacks leave extensive trauma, undermine the spirits of the people, erode public confidence, dampen collective morale, weaken the emotional resilience and determination of the nation as a whole.

The Pahalgam attack has significant implications. It has adverse impacts on our economy, undermines the efforts to promote tourism business in Jammu and Kashmir region. It is worth noting that nearly ninety percent of Kashmir tour bookings were cancelled immediately after the Pahalgam massacre, underscoring the hit to tourism industry, indeed a serious blow to the local economy. It may experience a permanent and significant drop of tourists in the peak summer season. The attack has already strained Indo-Pakistan relationship, with potential for further escalation. The targeted nature of the killings, based on religious identity, suggests intent to inflame communal tensions.