Has the Pahalgam attack crossed a red line?

The calculated brutality of the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir appears to have crossed a red line for India-Pakistan ties that were already at an all-time low.

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Following its diplomatic measures against Pakistan, what appropriate military response can India craft? Has the Pahalgam attack crossed a red line? Sharat Sabharwal and Lieutenant General (Retired) Deependra Singh Hooda discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Suhasini Haidar. Edited excerpts:

The Prime Minister has said that he has given the military “a free hand” for operations. Pakistan's government has been saying every 24 hours that an attack is imminent. Given the indicators that a military option will be exercised next, would you say that all non-military options have been exhausted?Sharat Sabharwal: There seems to be no diplomacy between the two countries at the moment. We know that some other countries, notably the U.S., have said that they are in touch with both sides and have urged them not to escalate matters. But what would it take for Pakistan to do something, which would be acceptable to our government, which would then move us towards de-escalation? There is nothing of that kind on the horizon. The government has to take into account the strong public sentiment on the issue, the record of what was done in 2016 (in Uri) and in 2019 (in Pulwama), (India’s) surgical strikes and Balakot strike in response and the expectation now that there will be some finite action.