Tuesday’s dastardly killing of 26 civilians, mainly tourists, in the upper reaches of picturesque Pahalgam, will go down as one of the most gruesome acts of Pakistan-sponsored terror in recent years in the Kashmir Valley. Even by the gory standards of terrorism in the Valley over three decades, this assault stands out for its abhorrent massacre of innocent, defenceless tourists. It is hard to understand how the terrorists, claiming allegiance to a front organisation of the Lashkar-e-taiba, could pull off such a brazen massacre in broad daylight, taking the security and intelligence apparatus by surprise.
The Pahalgam terror attack has turned the clock right back to the dark past, when the Valley was gripped by fear and tourists stayed away. There has indeed been a decline in terrorism and an yearning for a semblance of normalcy since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The high turnout in the State’s elections in September-October last year signified a mandate against separatist forces and a social desire for peace, stability, development, tourism and jobs, above all else. According to reports citing data from J&K Tourism Department, tourist footfalls in Kashmir have risen from about half a million in 2021 to over three million in 2024. About half a million tourists have visited the valley in 2025, till the first week of April, with bookings for the summer overflowing. With reports coming in of mass cancellations of bookings, it is the locals — cab and shikara operators, tour operators, owners of hotels and restaurants — that are set to lose their livelihoods. The heinous attack is a definite setback to the government’s efforts to assimilate Kashmir and Kashmiris with the national mainstream.
The terror attack can be seen as fallout of turmoil within the Pakistan political establishment, with clout of the military coming under challenge from rigged elections and the setbacks in Balochistan. The military has been struggling to reclaim political ground, and has upped the ante on Kashmir to this end. A recent, provocative speech by Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, laying claims on Kashmir as his country’s “jugular vein”, says it all. While the pressure from public opinion builds on the Indian government to retaliate in strong terms, it should pick its course of response — military and non-military — carefully after due deliberations and weigh the consequences before acting.
Even in this dark hour, there are enough signs that the Valley will not allow itself to be chained by the negativity of all these years. A bandh call on Wednesday across Jammu and Kashmir, called by a spectrum of the political leadership to protest the killings, met with an overwhelming response. Meanwhile, social media is flooded with polarising posts exploiting the charged atmosphere. It is to be hoped that saner voices will prevail and the objective of the terrorists to deepen the communal wedge in society is not allowed to succeed.