In Pahalgam aftermath: Protect growing India story, send a strong message to Pakistan and terror

However, the most unexpected response to the attack, and the counter to the terrorists’ design, came from the Kashmir Valley that stood with the rest of India in protest against the killings that were on a scale not seen in over two decades. There was a shutdown in downtown Srinagar, spontaneous protest marches in Pahalgam and other towns, worshippers at the Jama Masjid in Srinagar wore black armbands during Friday prayers, and newspapers published their front pages in black. Tourists from across India who had a narrow escape in Pahalgam also told stories of how local Kashmiris had helped them get back to safety. One pony operator was among those killed.

Security personnel at the site of the Pahalgam terror attack, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (PTI Photo)

Behind this response from Kashmiris — National Conference president Farooq Abdullah described it as a “tipping point” in the Kashmir story — is that people in the Union Territory were coming to acquire a stake in peace. It led to a tourism boom, with 2.3 crore tourists visiting the state last year and enabling locals to make good money.

The people in the Valley, anguished by the abrogation of Article 370, were possibly reconciling themselves to the new power structure that had come into existence, with peace allowing them to experience economic well-being and normal life after years of turbulence and violence.

Few in India buy the line that Pakistan was not behind the terrorists, given that, only days earlier, Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir spoke of Kashmir being Islamabad’s “jugular vein” that they would not give up. The terrorists struck at the heart of this feel-good story of the last two to three years. It sent the tourists rushing out of Kashmir, cancelling their bookings, and given the uncertainty of the situation, this is unlikely to change in a hurry. An economic downturn, combined with the fallout of the search and combing operations, may go on to reinforce the sense of alienation and uncertainty among the locals, unless handled with care.

Opposition’s support, security lapses

While Kashmir has so far stood with the rest of India, so has the Opposition stood with the government, even as it questions the security lapses that occurred.

The Congress has said it is for the government to decide the most effective way to respond to Pakistan-sponsored terror and that it will have its full support. Other Opposition parties have also struck a similar note amid questions about intelligence failure and the absence of security forces in the upper reaches of Pahalgam. That almost 2,000 tourists were in Baisaran that day and no security forces were present — they were an hour away — has its own story to tell.

This has emerged as a subject of immense concern even within the government. Its official explanation at the all-party meeting on April 24 to discuss the attack was that tour operators who took people to places like Bairsaran did not inform the police. However, it did not wash with most parties. The government appears aware that there was an intelligence failure and that it needs to be fixed urgently and systemically.

Indian Army personnel near the site of the Pahalgam terror attack, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir (PTI photo)

The terrorists must have also calculated that gunning down Hindus may provoke a reaction in the rest of India and deepen the Hindu-Muslim faultlines, hoping that many incensed Hindus will fall into the trap of equating terror with Islam. Again, the Prime Minister has emphasised the critical importance of the country standing as one today in the face of this challenge in the aftermath of the attack. The real challenge lies in not playing into the hands of the terrorists and stopping them from deepening the communal divide.

Even as there is naturally outrage in the entire country, the Indian leadership will have to look beyond what people are feeling now and exercise deliberation, foresight, and wisdom in its decision-making to protect the India story and, at the same time, deliver an “enough is enough” message to Pakistan. That is not an easy call to take, and, to that extent, the terrorists have put the government in a bind.

It will also be naive to separate politics from what is happening around us. The bullets in Baisaran have already gone on to heighten Hindu consciousness and deepen a sense of Indian identity. After April 22, the BJP may be in with a massive advantage for the year-end elections in Bihar and the ones due in 2026 and 2027. At the same time, it may well be issues around national unity, as opposed to those centred on creating a communal divide, which inform politics in the future. Today, the BJP has the opportunity to transition to a party that can lead a united nation to stand together in the face of any eventuality. As for politics, there will be enough time for it.

A moment such as this comes but rarely in the life of a nation. But it is here now, in a country united by grief, anger, and resolve, and the leadership of the day has the chance to convert this crisis into an uplifting opportunity.

(Neerja Chowdhury, Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has covered the last 11 Lok Sabha elections. She is the author of How Prime Ministers Decide)