Pulwama replays in Pahalgam

There are multiple dimensions of the terror attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam which has shaken the conscience of the entire nation.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

The tense situation could escalate to a full-scale armed confrontation between India and Pakistan, which has been backing terrorists who have been striking in various parts of the country, particularly Jammu and Kashmir.

Those who planned and executed the massacre of the tourists, have a clear objective of creating a Hindu-Muslim divide in India; the victims were asked their religion before being gunned down, though a Kashmiri Muslim is also amongst those who were butchered.

The barbaric incident has been widely condemned by all sections of society and it was unprecedented that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir has come out openly against the killings which were against the spirit of Kashmiriyat.

Obviously, the perpetrators must have figured out that the fallout of the killings would be felt all over India and there could be a communal backlash which could lead to riots.

It should be remembered that it is not the first time that the victims were asked their religion before being slaughtered. Even during the peak of militancy in Punjab, terrorists operating at the instance of Pakistan would do the same and many Hindus were singled out as targets and taken down from buses and killed in cold blood.