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The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam has delivered a fresh and harsh blow to the already tense and complex relationship between India and Pakistan. The brutality of this incident has forced India to take a strong and clear stand, leading to serious diplomatic consequences.

India's Firm Response to the Attack

In response to the attack, the Indian government has taken several firm actions. One of the most significant decisions was to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, a long-standing agreement between the two countries that governs the sharing of river waters. In addition, India has reduced the presence of Pakistan’s diplomatic staff in the country by withdrawing the Indian High Commission officers from Islamabad, calling them back to New Delhi. Military officials from Pakistan, who were stationed in India as part of diplomatic arrangements, have also been expelled. These actions were taken following a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) by indicating the seriousness of the matter at the highest levels of Indian leadership.

Mounting Evidence of Pakistan's Role

Although Pakistan has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack and has issued conflicting statements for the Indian intelligence sources suggest otherwise. Evidence collected by Indian agencies points to a strong possibility that Pakistan had a role to play. A terror group called the Resistance Front, which is believed to be a shadow organization of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility for the attack.

Even six days after the tragic incident, several key questions remain unanswered: How did the terrorists manage to cross into Indian territory? How long were they hiding inside the country before they carried out the attack? and most importantly, who are the real planners behind this horrifying act?

Investigation Handed Over to National Intelligence Agency

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA), India’s top anti-terror investigation agency has now taken control of the case. With the NIA in charge, there is a hope that the investigation will move forward quickly and uncover the full truth.

Security forces are currently searching for three individuals believed to be behind the attack. These include two Pakistani nationals, Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai, and one local man, Adil Hussain Thoker, who is from Jammu and Kashmir. According to various media reports quoting security officials, Thoker is believed to be the mastermind behind the entire operation.

As reported by the Jammu and Kashmir Police believed that Musa and Ali crossed into India over the last 18 months. During this time, Thoker is thought to have acted as their local helper, guiding them through the region and assisting them in avoiding detection.

Profile of the Local Mastermind

Adil Hussain Thoker comes from Gurre village in Anantnag district, located in South Kashmir. Police records show that he travelled to Pakistan in 2018 and returned to Kashmir only last year. Since then, authorities believe he has played a key role in helping the two Pakistani terrorists. Reports describe these two men as “well-trained and battle-hardened,” which adds to the concern over the kind of threat they pose.

This attack has once again brought attention to the serious security challenges that India faces. It has also worsened the already strained diplomatic relationship with Pakistan. As investigators continue their work, the nation watches closely by hoping for justice and answers to the many pressing questions that remain still unanswered.

A Dark Day in Pahalgam and the challenge before us

The brutal massacre of innocent tourists in Pahalgam, where more than two dozen lives were violently extinguished, has cast a dark shadow over one of the most beautiful regions in India. The horror of this atrocity induces not just outrage, but a profound disorientation — as if we are witnessing a moral and political free fall. At the heart of this tragedy lies a truth that admits no ambiguity that this was an act of terrorism with no justification, no underlying “root causes” that can justify its cruelty. Individuals were killed simply because of their identity — a chilling reminder of the hatred that continues to still stay beneath political conflicts.

While analysts may speculate about the timing and possible strategic objectives behind the attack — whether it was meant to coincide with a high-level American visit, distract from Balochistan, or cripple Kashmir’s tourist economy — such estimations, however tempting, ultimately miss the point. What truly matters is the terror inflicted, the lives lost, and the enduring scars left behind. These events are not mere political calculations; they are human tragedies.

Terrorism Without Context: The Clear Moral Outrage

Any sovereign state faced with such barbarism has not just the right, but the responsibility, to bring those responsible including their enablers to justice. Yet, even as India prepares a response, it must confront the profound unease that this form of terrorism breeds. A military operation might well bring justice and reassure the public of the state’s strength. For some, it may offer a bitter sense of closure. But even if such actions are strategically successful, they do little to pull us back from the larger struggles that we now face. We are standing at the edge of all challenges, and unless our actions are guided by wisdom rather than impulse that may soon engulf us.

There are three interlinked dimensions to this dangerous attack, the first being the enduring problem of Pakistan. India is now nearly certain that elements within the Pakistani state were involved in arranging the Pahalgam massacre and history suggests India will act on this assumption. But here lies the enduring challenges that Pakistan, ever since Partition — once described by historian Alfred Cobban as a “non-solution to an insoluble problem” — has become even more stubborn. Its geopolitical strategy has long depended on making favour with global superpowers. First, it was the United States. Now, it is China. This backing, while not always an endorsement of Pakistan’s actions, has given its ruling elite the dangerous illusion that they will never be abandoned.

Pakistan’s Patronage Problem: Shielded From Consequences

India has made commendable diplomatic strides in isolating Pakistan on the world stage. However, the structural limitations imposed by Pakistan’s external patrons mean that meaningful international pressure remains elusive. The second, more formidable challenge is Pakistan’s internal architecture. It is a state captured by a delusional elite — one that is so fixated on outdated notions of identity and power that it is willing to sacrifice the well-being of its own population to maintain its ideological hold.

Pakistan today faces an existential security crisis in Balochistan. Instead of addressing legitimate grievances, it seeks to blame India. General Asim Munir’s recent inflammatory rhetoric — calling Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein” — signals just how deeply the country remains imprisoned by a past that no longer serves its future. The military establishment particularly, has failed to produce any vision beyond conflict. Its playbook remains disturbingly unchanged: proxy wars, religious radicalism, and strategic destabilization as substitutes for genuine statecraft.

A State Addicted to Chaos: The Strategic Dead End

This approach presents India and indeed the world with a grim inconsistency. How does one punish a state that seems to derive strength from its own collapse? The Pakistani establishment thrives not in victory, but in perpetual crisis. Its survival is not contingent on progress but on managing decline by securing short-term aid packages, military favours, and diplomatic lifelines without ever addressing its systemic failures. Military retaliation might damage Pakistan tactically, but it will not solve the larger puzzle. Indeed, it risks feeding the very chaos that such regimes are used as political currency.

India stands at a critical crossroads. The attack in Pahalgam demands action, but not reaction. Justice must be served — but not at the cost of strategic clarity. Revenge cannot be the compass that guides our decisions. As the blood on Pahalgam’s soil continues to seep into our national consciousness, we must confront the hard truth that Pakistan is a challenge not just of foreign policy or military calculus, but of statecraft at its most complex. Only with carefulness, unity, and a long view of history can we hope to respond in a way that ensures security without sacrificing our stability to the cycle of violence.

After Pahalgam, What Future Can We Hold Onto?

The tragic attack in Pahalgam may have been an assault on innocent lives, but its deeper impact is on the soul of the Indian Republic — on the delicate but foundational idea of secularism. It is important to recognize a critical nuance that acts of terrorism, especially when perpetrated by elements across the border, do not immediately trigger communal fault lines within India. In moments of horror, grief has often acted to bring unity among all. Indians across religious and regional identities come together to mourn, to express rage, and to demand justice. In those hours, the idea of India as one nation diverse but indivisible — feels real, even if briefly.

But the danger lies not in the immediate emotional aftermath. Rather, it emerges in the quiet days that follow — in the deeper cultural and political narratives that begin to harden. Terrorism may not overtly breed communalism, but it subtly reshapes the national psyche. It begins to implant a dangerous belief that as long as India is targeted by forces from states like Pakistan, where religion is politicized and weaponized, the secular framework established in 1947 may be inadequate to protect us.

The Quiet Undoing of 1947's Vision

This creeping suspicion is now more than an outlying sentiment — it is fast becoming the dominant mood across large segments of Indian society. The founding arrangement of post-Partition India, where a secular and pluralistic society was seen as both a moral commitment and a political necessity, is now under question. Many voices, overtly or subtly have suggested that this framework needs to be either brought to its logical conclusion — perhaps through deeper adjustment and integration or entirely dismantled in favour of a more majoritarian order. Both paths are dangerous, and both threaten to take India further from its constitutional ideals.

The tragedy is that neither option offers stability, peace, or justice. The attempt to "complete" Partition by enforcing religious homogeneity is a road that leads to permanent conflict, both domestic and cross-border. On the other hand, trying to undo the damage of 1947 without renewed national consensus is a fantasy — one that overlooks the blood-soaked history that Partition left behind. What we are witnessing now is the falcon of peace and secularism falling from the sky and no one — no statesman, no moral leader, no national movement — seems able or willing to call it back to order.

Justice May Come, But So Might the Storm

India will undoubtedly seek justice for the heinous crime in Pahalgam. Security forces will act, diplomatic channels will call and public discourse will demand accountability. But no matter how swift or decisive our response, something intangible has already been shaken loose. The ghosts of sectarian division — which India has tried with varying success is to contain — now mixing restlessly in the background. This threat is not just about terrorism, but about how such violence gradually enables the corrosion of India's pluralistic conscience.

The attackers may have targeted specific lives in Pahalgam, but their real target was our collective future. By sowing fear, they seek to distort how we see ourselves and how we relate to one another. The greater tragedy would be if we allowed them to succeed not just in death, but in reshaping the living fabric of our society. For South Asia, a region already heavy with unresolved history and boiling religious tension, the consequences of such a shift could be catastrophic.

The Battle Ahead Is More Than Strategic — It's Civilizational

It is tempting to frame terrorism only as a security challenge — a matter of borders, intelligence, and retaliation. But the deeper threat is civilizational. When terrorism chips away at a nation's moral compass, when it pushes people to abandon tolerance in the name of protection it succeeds far beyond the battlefield. The Pahalgam massacre is not just a wake-up call to the intelligence agencies or the armed forces — it is a call to all Indians to defend the foundational ethos of the country.

We must not let grief become grievance, or fear become fury. We must respond with strength, yes — but also with clarity. The future of India cannot be dictated by the worst instincts of its enemies.

Terror Strikes Baisaran Valley: Attack Details and Immediate Response

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In the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, this high-altitude location can be reached either by hiking or on a mule. So, for the rescue operations helicopters had to be used. While locals used mules to bring the injured people back. At least 12 tourists were admitted to the Pahalgam Hospital and the doctors said that all 12 of them are now in a stable condition. In this terrorist attack, people were targeted based on their religion. One of the victims was a Muslim, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a Pahalgam local, who worked as a mule handler. One was a Christian and the remaining 24 victims were all Hindus. They were tourists from different places. Like 32-year-old Neeraj Udhwani from Jaipur, he used to work in the UAE. He was home for his vacation. He attended a wedding in Shimla with his wife and then later they went to see Kashmir. Another victim was from Nepal, Sudeep Neupane.

Additionally, many IAF, IB, and Navy officers were also present. Indian Air Force Corporal from Arunachal, Tage Hailyang. Manish Ranjan, a Section Officer at the Intelligence Bureau had taken LTC to visit Kashmir travelling from Bihar with his wife and two children. 26-year-old Indian Navy Lieutenant from Haryana, Vinay Narwal got married only 6 days ago. He was on his honeymoon with his wife. A honeymoon after which his wife returned as a widow. In a video, he was heard saying that she was having Bhel Puri with her husband. When a man approached them saying that they might not be Muslims. Saying this, he shot him. "He said that he doesn't look Muslim and shot him." Pune's HR professional, Asavari, reported a similar experience. She said that when she saw the terrorists firing at a distance, her family went to a nearby tent for security.

But the terrorists reached there too and asked her father to recite Islamic verses. When he couldn't, they shot him in cold blood. There was no one to help. Neither the police nor the army, the people who had brought them there on a mule, helped Asavari, her mother and a female relative in their return journey. Many of the handlers had carried them on the horses to the hospitals.

Rescue Challenges at High Altitude and the Role of Locals

About 20 minutes later, the Indian army reached there and rescued them. A shadow group of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, TRF has taken responsibility for this attack. TRF stands for The Resistant Front (TRF). Two years ago, when TRF had threatened Kashmiri journalists, the Ministry of Home Affairs had then declared it to be a terrorist organisation under UAPA's framework. A member of this terror group, Sheikh Sajjad Gul was also declared a terrorist under UAPA's 4th Schedule.

According to an intelligence assessment, it is suspected that Lashkar-e-Taiba's top commander Saifullah Kasuri was one of the conspirators. A report published in the Indian Express has stated that according to the initial probe, there might have been 4-6 terrorists who carried out this attack. Based on eyewitness' statements, J&K police have released sketches of 3 Pakistan terrorists who were part of the attack. A government source told The Hindu that it is suspected that there were 2 Kashmiri youths among the terrorists who had gone to Pakistan in 2018.

Targeted for Faith: Accounts of Religious Identification and Execution

Anantnag's Adil Guri and Pulwama's Ahsan, Government sources revealed that they recently infiltrated India with Pakistani terrorists and there were some inputs about their movement. There were already reports that various news editorials have mentioned that there were prior inputs of the terrorists planning and targeting some hotels in the first week of April. If true, this means that there were no intelligence failures. Despite having the intelligence inputs, this attack happened. Now, this might remind everyone of the Pulwama attack.

In June 2019, the Ministry of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy told the Rajya Sabha that there was no intelligence failure. Later, a Frontline investigation also revealed that between 2nd January and 13th February, there were 11 intelligence inputs. Warning that there could be a 'Qisas' attack. A strike with the intent of revenge. During the investigation after the Pulwama attack, Mudasir Ahmad Khan was found to be the mastermind. Two intelligence inputs related to that were already present.

The intelligence input of 24th January 2019 reported that some terrorists reported Mudasir Ahmad Khan to carry out a 'Fidayeen' attack in the coming days. This group is in contact with the Shahid Baba Group. The same group whose member was the Pulwama attack bomber Adil Ahmad Dar. The intelligence input from 25th January had information about Mudassir Ahmad Khan's location. In bold letters, it was reported that Mudassir Khan had been spotted with four foreign mercenaries in Midoora and Lam Tral villages. This input had also warned that they were planning an attack which could be carried out in Awantipora or Pampore. Only 16-17 km away from Pulwama. Imagine this, even before the Pulwama attack, Mudasir was a known terrorist wanted for his connection to the attack on the CRPF camp in 2017. An input from 12th February was marked to be 'Top Secret,' 'Matter Most Urgent.' It contained information about a Twitter handle Shah GET 313 that was Operated by Pakistan's Jaish-e-Muhammad's handlers. It had hinted that on J&K's security forces' route, an IED blast could be carried out.

There was also a video demonstrating IED blasts. Even the intelligence input from 13th February contained a similar final warning. But, despite this more than 2,500 soldiers were refused to be airlifted. They were sent together in the same convoy. The former IG of CRPF later raised objections about this by claiming that, "Sending 2,547 soldiers," "and having 78 vehicles in a convoy," "I believe that it was technically wrong."

Where is Accountability? A Call for Government and Media Responsibility

Think about it, despite having such detailed intelligence inputs, the Pulwama attack happened. How did it happen? That's the real question. I don't know, do you? If neither I nor you know, then whom should we ask about where everything goes wrong? These terrorists, from where do they get the weapons and ammunition?, It comes from beyond our borders and the central government has total control over the borders. The central government controls the Border Security Force. Infiltrators enter Indian territories. The infiltrators incite the terrorists.

The terrorists attack us and run away. In December 2016, at a rally, Our Honourable Prime Minister Modi claimed that the demonetisation had broken the backbone of terrorism. So the question arises, why haven't the terrorist attacks stopped since then? In Jammu and Kashmir alone, there was the Nagrota Army Base attack in November 2016. In July 2017, the Amarnath Yatra attack. In February 2018, the Sunjuwan Military Station attack. In February 2019, the Pulwama attack. In March 2019, the Jammu Bus Stand grenade blast. In June 2019, the Indian Paramilitary Police were attacked in Awantipora. The Poonch Rajouri attack of 2023.

The Reasi attack of 2024 and now in 2025, we have the Pahalgam attack. Terrorist attacks are taking place one after another and the media of our country lacks the courage to question the government. The media asking questions to the government is something that happened before 2014. Even the films like “A Wednesday” that was released, where the government was questioned about terrorism. This is why we elect a government. To govern our country. Police force and intelligence are more than equipped for this control.

But you don't take any action. If any child steps out of my home, I want that, he can go anywhere and at any time without fear. In a train, in a bus, anywhere at all. Back in those days, people used to protest together and the politicians used to resign, accepting their mistakes. Like, after Mumbai's 26/11 attack, Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigned because of public demand and Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh also resigned. I'm not saying that they did something great by resigning.

The thing is in any functioning democracy, this is a basic thing. But our country has since lost that basic common sense. The pro-government media anchors cannot ask a simple question: in a place with so many tourists, why was there no proper security? When a correspondent from the channel Aaj Tak tried saying this, he was stopped mid-sentence. This isn't a joke. 2,000 tourists were gathered at a picnic spot.

The reality was that there must have been some insider from terrorists or secret intelligence of Pakistan or some locals involved who had supported and provided complete information on Police activity and Army activity near the Pahalgam Valley area. This was such a large-scale terrorist attack, that they don't even know anything. There's an army base at the bottom, but they didn't know anything. The Defence Ministry told the Standing Committee of the Parliament that the current number of officers in the army is 42,095. While the authorised strength is 50,538.

There is a shortage of about 8,400 army officers in the country and now, 92,400 soldiers. In total, the Army suffers from a shortage of more than 100,000 army personnel. Because of this shortage, the soldiers are shifted from one place to another at a rate higher than before. So the question is, what is causing this shortage?

Disparity in Security: VIPs vs Common Citizens

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Over the next three years, they are planning to cut the army's strength by 200,000. Does this make any sense? A ministry official reported that the army is 'rationalising' its troop strength. It is being seen as an attempt to reduce its salary and pension expenses. Many people have alleged that the government is trying to save money on the army officers' salary and pension and that's why they are planning to reduce the troop strength. Vinay Narwal's sister cried in front of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini by saying that her brother was alive for 1.5 hours. Had the army been there, he could have been saved. But there was no one. Literally, No one. No one came there. No facilities, army or the police. But when politicians visit, they are treated like VIPs with convoys and helicopters.

The pro-government media doesn't care about this. When the Kashmiri Pandits were on strike for more than 300 days because of their security concerns, none of them reported on this news. On the other hand, billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family get the highest level of Z-plus security cover. With a total of 55 security personnel, out of which more than 10 are highly trained NSG commandos. Times of India had reported that Mukesh's son Anant's watch is worth more than ₹600 million. Neeta Ambani's necklace is worth ₹5 billion. They spent more than ₹50 billion on the wedding. But for their security they want highly trained NSG commandos trained on government funding. NSG commandos trained on our tax money. The pro-government media has no interest in this.

Billionaires and Bollywood celebrities get Y+ and Z+ security covers. I don't mind the security covers given to Mukesh Ambani and other celebrities. But the question here is, what are the average citizens getting? Now some people will say that VIP politicians, businessmen, and film stars are important for our country. That's why their greater security covers are justified.

But the civilians who were killed in Pahalgam, they must've been equally important to their families too, right? To their wives, children, and parents, they would've meant the world. So the question is why are the lives of common people so cheap? We're killed in train accidents, in stampedes, when hoardings and bridges fall or when Hit & Run cases happen under someone's Porsche or Lamborghini, or by falling into the open manholes in the roads and sometimes in terrorist attacks.

When it comes to the security of the citizens, the government prefers to worry about the salary and pension paid to the army troops. Look at the police in different states, how overworked they are. We need to double the number of police personnel in our country. More training facilities should be provided to the police, to improve the law and order in our country. For better security of the citizens. But no one cares about this. Law and order has become such a joke in New India.

Every other day, we get to see a new video of someone being beaten on the road. While the police do nothing. These goons freely destroy a studio or a restaurant and the police just watch. Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the people behind this terrorist attack will not be spared. Good. Arrest them and punish them quickly. But along with this, the question is does your government have any solution to prevent such terrorist attacks? Can your government give assurance that such terrorist attacks won't happen again in the future?

To give assurance to Salman Khan, former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde went to Khan's home. But who will assure the common citizens? Friends, the thing is, why would any government put in so much effort to come up with a solution when the Pro-government media is presenting the government's failures as achievements? What do the TV news channels show? PM Modi left Saudi Arabia's tour in the middle to come to India. PM Modi called a meeting at the airport.

The brainwashed people who believe this, live in their world of imagination. A world where the earth revolves around Modi. Anyway, coming back to our topic, Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the ones responsible for this attack are animals and inhuman, worthy of contempt. No word is enough to condemn them properly. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Kashmiris observed a shutdown as a sign of mourning.

Some marched as a mark of unity and some took out candlelight marches for the victims. Outside Kashmir, prominent Muslim organisations like Jamat-Ulama-e-Hind had condemned the terror attack. All India Imam Organisation's head, Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi said that during Friday prayers, a strong anti-terror message will be given from 550,000 mosques. Prayers will be made for the victims. Many Muslim countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Qatar have also condemned the attack.

Indian Muslims have expressed their opposition to terrorism through social media posts. People shouldn't fight among themselves on religious lines. That way we can defeat the intentions of the terrorists. Because that's what terrorists want.

Conclusion

To spread religious hatred in India, making people fight each other and eventually break apart our country. Can any true patriot ever want this? Never. A patriot would want to strengthen their country. Patriots will have only one slogan. Long Live Indian Unity.

Whether it is the Pahalgam terror attack or the genocide in Palestine. Whether the violence is driven by casteism or for not speaking regional languages like Marathi or Kannada. Every act of violence is like a termite for our country. Terrorists and hateful people will try to provoke you. Telling you about how 'they' will hurt you.

But you shouldn't get provoked. This us versus them, grouping us and then pitting us against each other, we need to steer clear from this poisonous propaganda. As Indians, we demand that all these criminal elements and terror elements, be jailed and punished and the rest of the citizens, we need to stay together. To live in peace and progress in our country. So, say it loud and clear, Long Live Indian Unity! against this terrorist ideology, against the people who are trying to destroy our country.

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