Srinagar, Aug 9:Recounting the trauma of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said that sight of a young boy mourning his slain father was “heart-wrenching” and haunted him until the perpetrators were killed.
“I remember the story of that eight-year-old boy. His father was shot dead in front of him. He said there was no one to save them, no government, no police. I have met him and his family. That scene was so painful that, to tell you honestly, after April 22 I could sleep well only when all three terrorists were killed,” Sinha said in an interview with National Television.
On being asked about the absence of police in Baisaran Valley where tourists were enjoying picnics between pizza stalls Sinha said that a private individual had set up ziplining and other adventure activities there and had no permission from the J&K Tourism Development Corporation. “He failed to inform the administration or the police. Peace had prevailed in the valley for the past four years, and several small tourist spots had come up.”
On opposition leaders like Congress’s GauravGogoi and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut questioning whether the attackers targeted Hindus specifically, Sinha said, “I was in the post-mortem room with the victims’ families. Their relatives were crying out loud, saying the attackers specifically checked whether the tourists were Hindu.”
Sinha said the attack was met with a decisive military response Operation Sindoor which destroyed nine terrorist bases inside Pakistan, eliminated over a hundred terrorists, and crippled their air defence. “When Pakistan acted recklessly, they were shown there is nothing in Pakistan that is beyond our reach,” he said.
“I salute the bravery of our police, Army and CRPF,” Sinha said, adding that the strikes were part of a broader strategy to ensure Pakistan “understands the cost of shedding innocent blood.”
Responding to Samajwadi Party chief AkhileshYadav’s suggestion that the terrorists were killed on the same day Home Minister Amit Shah was to speak in Parliament, Sinha said that Forensic and ballistic tests by six scientists confirmed the bullets from the M9 rifle and AK-47 recovered from the scene matched the terrorists’ weapons. “Families who gave them food and water identified them. Two people already caught by the NIA confirmed their involvement,” he said.
He said that the operation had been going on since April 22. The goal was clear that those involved in the Pahalgam incident should not escape.”
Responding to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s criticism that the failure to protect tourists brought the country to the brink of war, Sinha said, “If he’s said that, I welcome it. But he should also speak about how, for decades, Pakistan dictated ‘strike calendars’ in the Valley, keeping schools, colleges, and markets shut for 132 days a year. Stone pelting was routine, and security personnel lost their lives.”
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament, Sinha said no world leader had called for a ceasefire, and no phone conversation had taken place between Modi and US President Donald Trump during that period. “If anyone thinks Operation Sindoor was to shine the PM’s image, I can only feel pity,” he said.
On suggestions that Pakistan should have been hit harder, Sinha said such decisions were left to the Army. “The goal was to destroy the camps that trained those responsible for Pahalgam. The Indian Army achieved that goal bravely,” he said.
Pakistan, he added, had “accepted that the attack on terrorist camps was an attack on them” and tried to retaliate against Indian civilian and military targets. “Despite all their drones and missiles, they could not do anything. In minutes, 11 of their airbases were destroyed, forcing them to seek a halt,” he said.
Speaking on security flashpoints, Sinha said the nation’s resolve on terror was clear. “What happened in Pahalgam or after Balakot or Uri, the world knows. The Prime Minister has declared openly that any act of terrorism will be considered an act of war. Water and blood will not flow together, trade and talks will not happen together,” he said, adding that this was a message the “entire country” now understood.
Rejecting the charge that he is “running the government behind closed doors” while Omar Abdullah is Chief Minister, Sinha said that only Law and order, security and All India Services are with him. All other departments are with the elected government, Sinha said, adding “I know my limits.”
Defending the July 13 restrictions, Sinha said that no one was barred from visiting commemorative events and that Omar Abdullah’s father and ministers reached by road, not over walls.
He stood by his decision to scrap the century-old Darbar Move, the biannual shifting of the capital between Srinagar and Jammu calling it an “injustice” in an era of technology. “I saw 270 trucks with files going to Jammu… when they came back, I decided they would not come again,” he said. The Secretariat and districts now operate on an e-office platform, and J&K, he claimed, leads the country in online governance with 1,160 services.
Referring to criticism that 90 terrorist attacks have taken place since Article 370’s removal, Sinha argued against judging the situation purely by numbers. “If I talk about the killing of security forces, there has been a fall of more than 70%. For common civilians, the fall is over 80%. Recruitment into terror ranks has dropped drastically in the past seven months, only one youth joined terrorism. Last year, six did,” he said.
Sinha said normalcy now mirrors the rest of the country: “Colleges, universities, businesses everything runs as usual. Pakistan no longer launches shutdown calendars. Now the J&K administration launches an event calendar cricket tournaments, races, even a Formula car race.”
The LG cited public outrage after the Pahalgam attack as a turning point. “People came out on the streets, protesting against Pakistan and terrorism for weeks. They understood our future is with India. Pakistan has only destroyed us,” he said, adding that the security forces had “almost ended the ecosystem that gave terrorists oxygen, food and water”.
“We don’t believe in buying peace, we want to establish peace,” Sinha said. “Do not mess with innocence, and do not leave the culprits this is not just a slogan, it is a doctrine.”
Sinha also said that the April 22 attack caused initial fear among pilgrims, with registration dropping sharply. “Before April 22, registrations were 17-18% higher than the previous year. After the incident, it stopped completely,” he said.
Ten days later, numbers began to recover. “We called, mailed and messaged those registered earlier, inviting them to come. About 68% said yes. In the end, 4.12 lakh people undertook the Yatra,” Sinha said, calling it a “brand ambassador” for J&K tourism and linking it to a record 2.38 crore visitors to J&K in one year.
Sinha described “New Kashmir” as a place “without street violence, but with startups”, where “terror supporters do not get jobs” and “terror victim families are given jobs”. Academic calendars run on schedule, nightlife thrives, and cinemas have reopened in Pulwama, Shopian, Handwara and Srinagar after 30 years.
“People no longer have to go to Jammu, Chandigarh or Delhi to watch films. They are watching them here. New Kashmir is a place where people have the right to live as they wish,” he said.
Recalling moments such as the inauguration of Srinagar’s cinema hall and a TirangaYatra in the Valley, Sinha said such developments “should be noted by our neighbour”.
Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s criticism that the ceasefire order was a “surrender” by Prime Minister Modi, Sinha shrugged it off: “Let him continue thinking that. Another 10 years will pass like that.
Responding to criticism over naming operations ‘Sindoor’ and ‘Mahadev’, Sinha clarified, They may not know that the Dachigam forest area, where the terrorists were killed, is known as Mahadev Ridge. The term ‘Sindoor’ was used because the killers shattered the lives of women by killing their husbands, wiping off their sindoor (a symbol of marriage).”
Sinha added that the government has begun rebuilding temples destroyed in the Valley. “Under our conservation plan, we are restoring not just temples, but also gurdwaras, churches, and mosques.”
