Introspecting counter-terrorism after Operation Sindoor

The Pahalgam terror strike, on April 22, 2025, perpetrated by Pakistan proxies, and India’s retribution through Operation Sindoor, on May 7, 2025, have fundamentally altered the security landscape of the region.

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While Operation Sindoor represents an undeniable tactical and operational success, its strategic efficacy in diminishing the long-term terrorist threat remains uncertain. At present, the discourses across all the forums in the country, unfortunately centre exclusively on matters of foreign policy and the external application of military force. The aspects concerning internalisation of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have often been given a miss, thereby missing the wood for the trees. Here, it is crucial to understand that in the overall context, it has always been about winning Kashmir rather than defeating Pakistan. The complex reality of terrorism in J&K