Pahalgam attack: A wake-up call for India’s national security

North India is boiling in a heat wave, with temperatures in April already reaching 43 degrees, and Indians across the country are burning with rage over the heinous Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 29 innocent people lost their lives.

Our anger is boiling over because our democracy’s history is dotted with these tragic milestones. Even if we exclude the horrific terror unleashed by Khalistani separatists, when unarmed, helpless civilians were shot dead, the track record remains stained with the blood of innocent Indians.

Consider the Mumbai terror attack on 26/11, the Pathankot attack on January 2, 2016, when the Indian Air Force base in the Western Air Command was targeted, the Uri attack in 2016 on an Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri town in Jammu, and the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, when 40 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a convoy in Jammu.

Two significant things become apparent when you read the last paragraph of this SWAT analysis: Except for Mumbai and Pahalgam, the terrorists didn’t target civilians or innocent tourists, perhaps because it was difficult to strike at will, and they feared losing local sympathy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Now, in utter desperation, it seems that all bets are off for the terror proxies and their masters. The fact that our professional security forces are constantly under threat is causing immense anger among Indians.

I have covered national security for over two decades, and my sources across the security and intelligence spectrum tell me that the Pahalgam incident was caused by a significant security and intelligence failure, triggered by complacency and the belief that the situation was stable.

They point out that the widespread public celebration of the fact that over 20 million tourists had visited Jammu and Kashmir triggered a backlash from those whose only means of survival is their hatred for India.

More concerning is the diversion of security forces to “guard” self-important party leaders across the spectrum, who decided to escape the heat of North India by flocking to Jammu and Kashmir. From parliamentary committee meetings to birthday bashes and house parties for anniversaries, all these events were being held in Kashmir before the terror incident, pushing the already overstretched security forces to their breaking point. Sources say that self-proclaimed VIPs are an endemic problem in India, and even events like the Maha Kumbh, which saw a stampede with an unknown number of casualties, should avoid such VVIP visits.

Knowing it was peak tourist season in Jammu and Kashmir, shouldn’t both the Centre and the state government have asked these self-important leaders to stay away? It’s an open question.

Security sources say that the deaths in Pahalgam have shown us that we cannot relax our vigilance in the state at all, and that all loopholes need to be plugged.

Significantly, despite being a cynical security analyst, I can point to a very heartening development in the aftermath of this heartbreaking tragedy: the Kashmiris share the anger felt by all Indians and want these kinds of attacks to end. They have voiced their frustration in no uncertain terms. This is a sea change, and it is very welcome. It must be reciprocated by ensuring that Kashmiri students across India, and other Kashmiris, are not conflated with the cowardly terrorists who attack unarmed people.

Sources say that Kashmiris have benefited economically from normalcy and have witnessed firsthand how being part of the mainstream in India has changed their lives for the better.

This change also makes the terror proxies nervous, as they want to pit India’s religious minorities against the majority. We need strong leadership to defeat this.

Payback for those who have committed these terrorist acts is certain, and sources say it will be definitive. More on that next time.