Guarding The Gains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to grant the armed forces“complete operational freedom” is the expected response to the brutal terror attack at Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and one pony operator. The decision is both understandable and, in many ways, inevitable. The sheer brutality of the attack has shaken public confidence and reignited widespread anger. At the same time, this has only further strengthened the country's resolve to fight the terrorist menace. The PM has promised to act and pursue the attackers and their backers to the“ends of earth.” For a government that has repeatedly championed a strong national security doctrine, inaction is not an option. And it has left no one in doubt on this score. Earlier in 2016 and 2019, the government took the fight to the enemy's territory. Whatever form the government's response takes this time, Pahalgam attackers and their backers can rest assured that they will eventually be tracked down.

In the high-level security meeting chaired by the PM on Wednesday, with the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor, and the three service chiefs in attendance, the message was unambiguous: the Indian military now has full autonomy to decide when, where, and how to respond. Under the BJP's rule, India has time and again made it clear that it will no longer absorb terrorist provocations without consequences. Ever since the BJP took the reigns of power in New Delhi, it has made sure that no terror attack goes unanswered. This has certainly made a redeeming difference on the ground in Kashmir. In a place where terror attacks and all kinds of violence used to be the order of the day is now largely normal. True, Pahalgam attack has broken the calm, but it has happened at a remote unmotorable area which doesn't affect the overall normalcy of the Valley. Truth is that the Valley has come a long way and is peaceful in all law and order metrics. Separatist politics has all but disappeared, so have stone throwing, protests and shutdowns. One brutal attack can't undo the years of progress.

That the attackers targeted unarmed tourists at a scenic hill station reflects a cruel intent not just to kill, but to fracture Kashmir's fragile return to normalcy. The outrage, then, is national, not merely strategic. But it shouldn't distract us from the larger goal of further stabilizing the prevailing peace and the ongoing development.

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