The country needs to stand united and ensure that no communal tension erupts
The Tuesday Pahalgam terror attack, the deadliest assault at the popular hill station in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama strike, is not only a condemnable violent incident but a disgraceful act which forces humanity to put down head in shame. The attack leaves a bad taste in mouth and tears in the eyes, with the mixed feelings consisting of sadness, anger and sympathy. The merciless, indiscriminate gunning down of more than two dozen people, most of whom were innocent and unarmed tourists on a vacation to the valley, is not a heroic deed but an act of cowardice. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot that has claimed responsibility for the attack, should be ashamed of its brazen display of cruelty.
The Resistance Front was founded in October 2019, months after the abrogation of Article 370 leading to the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories. It has been discovered that the attack was orchestrated by a group of terrorists who arrived from the dense forests around the trekking paradise of the Baisaran meadows in the upper reaches of Pahalgam. These perpetrators of terror, whose numbers could not be ascertained immediately, took advantage of the non-motorable destination, mostly popular among honeymooners, trekkers and adventure junkies, to target tourists and ensure that any help from authorities would be delayed. The terror outfit has been banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2023.
A 26-year-old Naval Officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was one of the ill-fated tourists to be shot dead by the terrorists, had married just a week ago and was holidaying with his wife. The agonizing cries of his wife, Himanshi seen in a video clip that has since gone viral, are heart-wrenching. The trauma she and her family are going through will probably stay with them throughout their life, disturbing their very existence. A video of yet another couple from Karnataka, Manjunath Rao and his wife Pallavi – probably their last together – has also emerged on social media, which shows them in a holiday mood. Manjunath was shot in the head by the terrorists in front of Pallavi and their 18-year-old son Abhijeya. She later said that after Manjunath was shot, she and her son confronted one of the terrorists and asked him to shoot them too. The terrorist replied, “I won’t kill you. Go and tell Modi.” There are many others who either lost their life or are admitted in hospital in a badly injured state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his Saudi Arabia visit, returned to India and sought a high level briefing on the terror attack right at the airport, while the Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah visited Pahalgam, reviewed the security situation and met the families of victims. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a loud and clear response, stated that those who carried out and planned the terror attack on civilians would see a swift response. One only hopes that the assurance comes true at the earliest, and justice is delivered to the victims and their families.
There is no doubt that the primary objective of the terror attack is tourism disruption in Jammu and Kashmir, at a time when the region is witnessing record-breaking tourist footfall. There could be other reasons too. The country at this time needs to stand united and ensure that no communal tension results from the barbaric incident. That would prevent the terrorists from achieving their goal of damaging the secular fabric of India.
