The dastardly attack in Pahalgam is etched in our memory for ever. Innocent tourists, harbingers of peace, visiting with friends and family, enjoying the sights and sounds of our most treasured and pristine countryside, up north, in the tranquil paradise of Pahalgam. And just then, in measured steps and orchestrated movement, out of the blues of the skies, came these monsters, with every perceivable evil in their eye. Motivated for a variety of reasons, none valid, none likely to achieve any tangible results, as the people of India have matured and understand such evil designs.
Break the peace and prosperity in the Valley: there has been much progress on the ground, in the lives of the average Kashmiri. The average locals, especially the youth, have enjoyed a long bout of peace and prosperity. With tourism in the front end, with tourism being the single biggest economic activity in the valley. While the abrogation of Article 370 can still mean a dent for many, more of a hurt of the ego, perhaps, the flip side has been that if it has brought peace and a regular and normal life, and therefore so be it. “We cannot keep living in the past, need to move on”, said a senior politician who did not want to be identified. This turnaround had to be aborted; it could not go on. Disrupt the tourism story, stop the rest of India frequenting the valley, bring tourism to a halt – one mission that was identified. End of tourism meant telling the world that no progress had been achieved, that it was all a bogey.
Bring a fresh narrative of a Hindu-Muslim divide centre stage: the best way to ensure that Indians fight between themselves, here the motivation was to start their mutual distrust afresh. In spite of contrary voices, sporadic incidents, over anxious fringe elements on both sides, at the national level, the situation has been settling down. At an individual level, there is no animosity, it is the collective jargon which gains prominence every now and then, thwarted by the more mature and intelligent among both communities. But this attack, so minutely executed to make it anti Hindu, smacked of deliberate intent and malafide. It did whip large scale anger and a battle cry seeking revenge. But not everybody was endorsing this war-cry. One could easily see through the game, this most deliberate manifestation of the rarest mental disorder. It was too blatant, to fall for!
Cause and Effect, The Kashmir Narrative: Was this too factored in, while planning this horrendous act? That there would be large scale investigations, searches for the local helpers will lead to possible large-scale crackdown, some of it affecting the innocents, derailing what had been achieved in the last five years? The entire chorus of political opinion has come forward to say, by all means, do crack down on terrorists, but do not let innocent people become collateral damage. In fact, sensing the general mood of the public, both Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz, have for the first time, endorsed the call for bandh in the valley, a first in all these years! Such an endorsement would not have come had it not been the will of the local public, for peace and for carrying on normal life. In fact, this alone is a vindication that peace had returned, welcomed by one and all, in the interests of the people in the valley. Their daily lives mattered, to them, and therefore to the politicians, too.
What now, will this act incite revenge: was this factored, too, to disengage India in its recent successes on the global stage? There is a national awakening, not necessarily agreed upon by all, that India is getting onto the global stage, for good reasons. Not necessarily as a Vishwaguru, but certainly for its growing economic and industrial potential. Again, we may not be there yet, but on the cusp, for us to take advantage. The new Trump tariffs, upending the global economic order, has the potential for India to create another 1991 moment, when we can look inwards and carve a totally new trajectory based on manufacturing, high end technology, and human capital. Disrupt this story from going forward.
How should India engage? That is the big question going forward. There is a clamour for revenge, for taking action. For investigating what went wrong. Indeed, something did, a sort of an oversight, a possible complacency, an overwhelming desire to prove that all was well, that security was no longer needed, at least not all over or in large numbers. Immediately, all we need to do is to tighten this sense of complacency. Though much had been achieved, indeed, it was but will remain fragile.
Also, is this the right time to identify who was responsible, to punish the guilty of dereliction of duty, or can this wait? Plug the loopholes, be on high alert, if necessary for a long time to come. Collateral damage has been done, the need to track down the perpetrators is paramount. Like the prime minister as assured the nation, those responsible will be dealt with in harshest terms. Also, this time, some heads, of those responsible for the intelligence and security lapse, must roll. Somebody must be made accountable, made responsible and that too transparently.
Should we avenge the wrong done? Should we go to war? Not if we can avoid it. Our own prime minister has often said that ‘war is not the answer’! He has said it to President Putin, time and again. But then provocation has its limits, too. Inaction can also be interpreted as cowardice or lack of confidence or strength, so says the war cry. No amount of so-called information in public domain is enough, or adequate to say what should be done. It is only the government that has all the answers. It is only the powers that be, who are privy to what is the global expectation, possible consequences, possible ramifications, our national best answer to this crisis. There are numerous so called ‘learned’ voices, some who say they have been earlier ‘in high positions’ in government, some who claim access to ‘well informed sources’, all is baloney. Only a comprehensive analysis is available within the government, leave it to them to decide. It is time the entire country places all its trust in the prime minister and in his government. Too many ‘knowledgeable’ souls have self-appointed themselves as Field Marshals!
What should be done? Saner voices must prevail. War mongers may mean well, but may not end up doing good. Better to remain sober in thought, let the team in the government provide the collective inputs to the cabinet, let the prime minister take the final call.
Immediate Resolutions
- That tourism must not stop to the valley. All efforts to keep the tourism numbers steady will be one big win for India.
- While searches are going on, as they should, due care must be taken to ensure that no excesses are inflicted upon the innocent, as this would only negate all our efforts of the last few years. The local community is on the side of normalcy, peace, and prosperity.
- That war is not necessarily the answer. It is an option, if it is found to be the only solution. That our resolve to defend must be explicitly made clear to the enemy.
- That unity among my people must not be threatened under any circumstances. This heinous act is not an Hindu-Muslim issue, much that it has been portrayed to be.
The answer lies in a strategy. A strategy of response. A clear response strategy needs to be spelt out (not necessarily to the public), but down to the appropriate level, that the next such similar incident will result in immediate action of another kind. That is the resolve and clarity that India needs.
