Tragedy in the Valley

The guilty must not be spared but govt must improve deep, real-time intelligence from the ground

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The massacre in Pahalgam on Tuesday is the most devastating terror attack on civilians in India since 26/11. Just like the commemoration of Mumbai's wounds continues nearly two decades on, the visual of a woman slouched beside her dead husband against the backdrop of scenic hills will haunt the nation for a long time to come. At least 26 tourists were killed and several injured, but more than the number of casualties, the targeting of civilians — that too in a brazen communal fashion — has shaken everyone. To be sure, civilians have been targeted before. For instance, the annual Amarnath Yatra — set to start two months later and not too far from the lush meadows of Pahalgam — has seen pilgrims facing attacks four times since 2000. However, such instances are rare as the more than three-decade-long armed insurgency in Kashmir has largely been in confrontation with the Indian state and the armed forces. As such, preying on unarmed non-combatants sends a chilling message that peace in the Kashmir Valley remains precarious.