PAHALGAM SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH A FIRM, WISE HAND

Hundreds of social media handles are now actively fomenting religious hatred

- 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," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Bihar's Madhubani district. This was the first time an Indian Prime Minister had used such strong words in public discourse. These words convinced every Indian hurt by the Pahalgam terror attack that the government was not going to stop at a diplomatic offensive alone.

But what would Modi's plan of action be? Whatever it may be, it will likely be sudden and unimaginable as what followed the 14 February 2019 attack that martyred 40 CRPF soldiers in Kashmir's Pulwama. While flagging off the Vande Bharat train between New Delhi and Varanasi, Modi had assured the nation that the perpetrators and their supporters of the terror attack would pay a heavy price.