Pahalgam Terror Attack

The ghastly Pahalgam terrorist attack was executed at about 2,30 pm on April 22, when some 4-6 terrorists came out of the woods and fired at tourists. The killed included tourists from across India and two foreigners. These were common citizens, businessmen, a naval officer, an IAF officer, and an intelligence bureau (IB) official. Hindus were specifically identified and shot. A woman who pleaded to be killed after her husband was shot dead was told by terrorists, “Go and tell Modi”.

A journalist reported news of 25 tourists killed and eight injured but mainstream TV news began cautiously  with one killed and 20 injured. The eventual count on April 23 rose to 28 killed and 20 injured although someone wrote, the actual figures of tourists killed and injured may never be known, as happened in stampedes at Maha Kumbh and New Delhi railway station.  

The terrorist attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a front organization of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was planned well in advance: timed with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance and before the upcoming  Amarnath Yatra. The specific targeting of Hindus was a direct and clear message to the Modi Government. The recent anti-India diatribe by Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief (https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/op-eds/south-se-asian-schmooze/) is being cited as the main reason for this terror strike – terrorist singling out Hindus. Ironically, our politicians won’t stop thumping their chests about J&K having been completely normalized. In addition is the band of “appeasers”; one fellow recently termed the prolonged anti-terrorist operation in Kathua area the last vestiges of terrorism in J&K – comparing it with Hamas (sic).

Terrorism can’t survive  in J&K without local support, be it TRF or terrorists of other organizations; totalling 2,335 as per the South Asia Terrorism Portal (https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/data_sheets/summary_terrorist_groups_operating.htm). We may gloat over how many terrorists are killed in J&K annually but Pakistan’s jihad factory churns out about a million every year.

Have the political parties of J&K, particularly the NC and PDP,  completely broken their links with Pakistan’s ISI? Has their resentment over abrogation of Article 370 and non-grant of statehood to J&K diminished? Separately, Omar Abdullah has expressed frustration over mismanagement of IGI Airport, New Delh, but is the government bothered about common man’s miseries?

The usual game is on in India: focus sympathies pouring in from all over the world; perpetrators will not be spared; this terrorist strike is an “act of frustration”; diplomatic offensive against Pakistan will finish off that country; population of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) want to join India, so on and so forth. The culminating argument is that in such a situation, one must side with the government, not criticize it; which is why we have never learnt our lessons. A former Vice Chef of Army Staff very aptly says, “Am deeply saddened by the repetitive illusion of normalcy in Kashmir by all at apex over 30 years. Commiserate with the innocent who died. When will we get real and learn?”

The ‘Blind Men of Hindostan’ keep harping about an “international conspiracy” to upstage the Modi government but fail to acknowledge that Pakistan’s proxy war on India is not only supported by China, but also by the US and UK because of the CIA-MI6-ISI nexus. Earlier this year, the UN warned India about heightened ISIS and Al Qaeda threat (https://www.spsmai.com/experts-speak/?id=1643&q=UN-Warns-India-of-Terror-Threat), This was followed by the US warning India of the expanding ISIS threat (https://owsa.in/us-intelligence-warns-of-expanding-isis-k-threat).  But has the US ever warned Pakistan for its proxy war on India and for being the conduit for ISIS or AQIS?

The US is bothered little about anti-India jihad in Bangladesh but is concerned about support Bangladesh military can provide to the anti-military junta forces in Myanmar.  That is why Major General Jahangir Alam, Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) of Bangladesh was summoned to Washington to brief the CIA (https://nenews.in/neighbours/bangladesh-dgfi-chief-heads-for-washington-to-brief-cia-officers-on-rakhine-state-operations/23858/).

Incidentally, when the mainstream media is screaming about persecution of Hindus in West Bengal, why the hesitation to impose president rule – vote-bank politics or waiting for the signal of Nostradamus? Also, how about the RSS concentrating on West Bengal instead of orchestrating return of monarchy in Nepal, which China will never allow, and in the event monarchy returns, organise another royal massacre?

One of our primary problems is inability to understand that Pakistan (and China) respect power. Power is not about procuring Rafale and F-35 fighter jets but more about showing the spine, which is totally missing.  Isn’t it shameful that in the past 11 years the cross-border operations undertaken against Pakistan were just two: one, the ‘surgical strike’ “after” suffering casualties at the hands of Pakistani terrorists at Uri; two, Balakot standoff airstrike “after” suffering 40 killed at Pulwama. What is the message we are giving? Our political leaders are so thick-skinned, some say India should be called a rhinoceros, not elephant. But forget the rhino horn, even the spine is missing.

What happens now after these 4-6 terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack are gunned down, with Pakistan generating unlimited supply – another ‘surgical strike’ with the political hierarchy drawing all the limelight in a war room akin to Obama overseeing the killing of Osama bin-Laden? And then a break of another decade? Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who lied to the Parliament that 58 organizations were consulted before thrusting the ‘Agniveer’ concept on the military, unashamedly keeps saying the Army has been given a free hand. If that was the case, the terrorist infrastructure in POK/Pakistan would have been periodically targeted. But instead, this home-grown Newton says POK will automatically fall in our lap. Despite being the defence minister, he is also party to the military being pulled below police forces. it is beyond his comprehension that the “primary” role of the Army’s Special Forces is across the border.

It is doubtful if our politicians can shed their bangles, but would the government admit this massive intelligence failure? Will we ever question our intelligence agencies and their nexus with the police and terrorists? Yasin Malik, who gunned down IAF personnel in broad daylight, travelled abroad (being a source of IB?) and boasted to Tim Sebastian on BBC’s ‘Hard Talk’ how he killed these IAF persons. He is still alive and kicking, telling the Court now he never killed anybody. Is the defence minister or home minister bothered?

The links of police officials with terrorists in Punjab, as well as in J&K, were covered in these columns earlier           (https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/op-eds/the-isi-scalpel/), which also mentioned Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Davinder Singh, who was caught travelling with terrorists. But now economist Mohan Guruswamy points out that Davinder Singh, key to the Pulwama attack, has been dismissed from service by the Lt. Governor of J&K, with the same order saying in the interest of  security of state, it is not expedient to hold an inquiry against him (https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10229603315416116&id=1500196238&rdid=U2iafUHp09Rq8lIG#). This stinks badly. Also, why was there no inquiry, and no heads rolled when 3,000 CRPF personnel were sent in a convoy to the Valley with no armed escort and not one single officer accompanying them?

Do we need more evidence that India’s deep state, with its politico-bureaucratic core, is in play? Isn’t this why the Army’s Technical Support Division (TSD) was shut down, which gave excellent cross-border intelligence for counter terrorist operations, but also information about cross-border links of politicians, including those using hawala for illegal financial transactions. That’s why the TSD will not be revived although it is a crucial necessity, especially when terrorists are using high-end technology and are provided SATCOM and satellite intelligence. 

Ironically, our approach to border security remains lackadaisical. During his three-day tour of J&K preceding the Pahalgam attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that an electronic surveillance system would be installed along the India-Pakistan border and then on the India-Bangladesh border; to be completed on the entire India-Pakistan border within the next three to four years (https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/reports/electronic-surveillance-being-installed-along-india-pakistan-border/)

Two days after this announcement, seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested for infiltrating into India by crossing the star fencing at the Amjad Nagar area near Belonia in Tripura (https://www.facebook.com/100064528966526/posts/1090175449810077/?rdid=UbOKTzKu6aRBFpXH#). The threat from cross border tunnels along our borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar (infiltration, terrorist attacks, smuggling of narcotics, weapons and explosives) is today alive (https://www.spslandforces.com/experts-speak/?id=1239&h=Cross-Border-Tunnels). Why are we not installing electronic surveillance systems simultaneously along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders? Surely, we can find the resources to take on both borders together. The need to address security and vigilance along the Bangladesh border is as crucial, if not more, Also, Amit Shah recently had told Parliament that 450-km of our border with Bangladesh is not fenced because the West Bengal government is not allowing it (sic). If we can’t even fence our land borders, what more can one say?

The Pahalgam terror attack may just be the tip of the iceberg – call it grey zone warfare or whatever. The expanding China-Pakistan-Bangladesh nexus should be a wakeup call. Israel provided the coordinates for the Balakot standoff attack but we have to fight this war ourselves. There is no shortcut to transporting Pakistan’s proxy war back into POK/Pakistan where the terror infrastructure remains intact. Pakistan will naturally say it has nothing to do with this terror strike but India must insist Pakistan be held accountable for such terror attacks; and that India has the right to strike POK/Pakistan at the place and time of its choosing. With all the kowtowing to the US, shouldn’t India demand that the Trump administration should endorse this through a statement?

Pakistan must be paid back in the same coin, and we can do it if we have the will. We must strategize and execute our own ‘unrestricted warfare’ strategy against Pakistan – somewhat similar to China’s ‘unrestricted warfare’ against the US. Our strategy must include unlimited support for the independence of Balochistan and Sindh, not restricted to  weapons and financial support.

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.