Echoes of PAHALGAM BRUTALITY

The Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025, masterminded and engineered by the terrorists, resulted in the killing of 28 tourists, mostly from outside J&K, on the spot. It is no doubt a deliberately planned provoca tion to psychologically terror ize the country. It is a brutal act against innocent civilians.

- BY PROF. DR. MAHAMMAD GHOUSE SHAIK

The visuals, in particular and the strategy adopted in killing had left many to ponder over the conspirators of cross-border terrorism. The kind of religious fanaticism was clear from the horrific scenes wherein the terrorists' segregated men from women, identifying them by religion and finishing their task just to terrorize Indians.

From the bleeding heights of the Kargil war to Pathankot to Pulwama and now Pahalgam in 2025, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has experienced many terror attacks and infil trations quite intermittently, with unprovoked firing along the Line of Control. Questions like “Who has sheltered the ter rorists in the valley”? Who has sponsored the arms and ammu nition”? haunt us every day.

The vulnerability of the J&K environment, the surroundings of mountains, lakes, rivers, for ests, and lush green pastures, makes it typically an easy place for carrying out terror attacks. It is heaven on earth. It is the fer tile land of apples and saffron. It is a land inhabited by Kashmiri Pandits. The scholars of Shara da were Hindu priests who com posed scriptures in the 1890s. This is the heritage of Kashmir that Hindus lost. Over the last few decades, the state has been in the news about these attacks. It is no more a paradise for people and tourists when infil trators and cross-border terror ists intrude into the valley. Geo graphically, its complex nature makes it extremely difficult to undertake search operations, and on the security front, the concerns of safety and security are challenging to safeguard. The minus degree temperatures complicate things there for the armed forces.

The scale and magnitude of terror attacks have, by com parison, crossed the maximum levels. The bomb blasts in Hyderabad, Mumbai and other places witnessed huge casual ties. If Punjab could successfully combat terrorism, why couldn't India undertake a similar exer cise in J&K?