Questions on the Pahalgam Tourist Massacre

Pahalgam carnage has brought the already fragile India-Pakistan relations on the brink. India has been maintaining utmost restraint amid severe provocations from the Pakistani terrorist misadventures. In spite of heavy casualties inflicted in the Jammu region repeatedly in the recent months, India has maintained poise and tried to de-escalate the situation. But Pakistan has not budged and it has taken the Indian tolerance and measured counter –terrorism operations for granted . That is why it orchestrated a gruesome carnage at Pahalgam. It was a well-planned terrorist operation that was executed with professional expertise to address the varied audience. It was an action meant to bring Kashmir back in the international gaze and question the mainstreaming of Jammu and Kashmir after the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A. As it serves the continuous policy of Pakistan to show Jammu and Kashmir as the unfinished agenda of partition. It is not surprising that the Pahalgam massacre was executed within days of war mongering by the Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir who encouraged the various quarters in Pakistan to catalyse the differences between Indian and Pakistan and sharpen the divide between the Hindus and Muslims. His address was an open call to inject hatred between India and Pakistan. And the Pahalgam massacre is completely in sync with General Munir’s statement. When Pakistan accuses India of accusing it without evidence as far as terrorism is concerned, it must be asked to replay the recording of General Munir’s address to the overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad, earlier this month. His address was a clear address to the radical terrorist mercenaries and Pakistani Army to launch an offensive against India and it unfolded in Pahalgam within days. He repeated the same rhetoric on Kashmir as has been parroted by the previous army dictators and army controlled Pakistani political leadership and the ISI that is “Kashmir is our jugular vein; it will be our jugular vein; we will not forget it. “It becomes clear that Pakistan will not stop eyeing Jammu and Kashmir as it gives legitimacy to its existence on the basis of Two-Nation Theory. Pakistan indulges in a double game but fails to play it well. On the one hand it says that it is not responsible for the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir but on the other hand, it openly asks its people and armed forces to work for annexing Kashmir .Its game of plausible deniability has been exposed. Another aim that was achieved by the terrorists in Pahalgam was that they sent a clear message that their writ runs in Kashmir and tourism activity is not the barometer of peace. Those who were killed before their families that included the women and children from various states will act to destroy the tourism business and word of mouth is the mainstay of tourism marketing. One thing that has been missed by the security agencies and the security forces besides the various analysts who are watching Kashmir closely is that those tourists who have been massacred in Pahalgam include the intelligence official and Naval personnel. It has been observed that the people who were targeted had arrived in groups. The question arises was the identity of the people leaked at some level? If yes, then at what level? There is a need for a thorough investigation. There is a need to track the itinerary of the tourists. From where they booked the tour and who was the travel agent and who were the service providers in Kashmir? Their travel itinerary needs to be investigated from their home states as well. These are the questions that need to be addressed.