J&K Attack Aimed At Communal Rift, Centre Credits People For Foiling Plan

The Pahalgam terror attack was aimed at provoking communal tension in India, but the people ensured that did not happen, the government said today, hours after India carried out missile strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir under the codename Operation Sindoor.

Addressing a press briefing with senior defence officials, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "The manner of the attack was also driven by an objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the Nation. It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these designs were foiled." The Foreign Secretary was accompanied by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh who shared details of Operation Sindoor. 

Twenty-five tourists and a Kashmiri pony ride operator were murdered in cold blood in Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley on April 22. Terrorists rounded up the victims, asked them if they were Hindu and shot them dead at close range. The objective was clear: foment communal conflict in India. The attack took place against a backdrop of a tourism boost in Jammu and Kashmir. Over the past couple of years, the improved security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has led to a massive influx of tourists in the Valley. This quickened development and hit the designs of terrorist outfits. The Pahalgam attack, unprecedented in its brutality, was aimed at reversing these gains.

"The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining the normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir. In particular, it was designed to impact the mainstay of the economy, tourism, with a record 23 million tourists visiting the valley last year. The calculation, presumably, was that harming growth and development in the Union Territory would help keep it backward and create fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan," Mr Misri said today.

Following the attack, a group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility. This is a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In his Mann ki Baat address after the terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said unity is the biggest strength of our country in its fight against terrorism. "We have to strengthen our resolve to face this challenge that has surfaced before the country. We have to demonstrate strong willpower as a nation. Today, the world is watching, after this terrorist attack, the whole country is speaking in one voice," he said.

The Centre called an all-party meeting to brief the Opposition and other parties on its next course of action. Following the meeting, all parties, including the main Opposition Congress, assured the Centre their full support in any action it takes to respond to the terror attack.

While some on social media tried to create a Hindu-Muslim divide, most mainstream politicians were cautious and mindful of making any irresponsible remark that fuels such narratives. A key role was played by those worst affected by the Pahalgam attack -- the families of the victims and Kashmiris.

Family members of the victims demanded tough action against those involved in the terror attack, but underlined the way Kashmiris helped them out. Newly married Himanshi Narwal, who lost her husband, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, days after her wedding, told the media, "I see hatred growing, directed at Muslims and Kashmiris. We do not want this. We only wish for peace-nothing else." She was trolled for her remarks, but many came to her support.

Kashmir, for the first time in 35 years of unrest, observed a complete shutdown in protest of a terror attack. Loudspeakers in the mosques blared out appeals to people to join the shutdown, and spontaneous protests hit the streets. The Valley mourned its guests and its son, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who died while trying to snatch the rifle of one of the terrorists. Shopkeepers and hoteliers took out a protest march in Pahalgam, raising slogans of "Hindustan Zindabad" and "I am Indian".

Fifteen days after the heinous attack, 24 missiles hit targets at nine locations in Pakistan and PoK. Government sources said 70 terrorists were killed and 60 others injured in the strikes. The sources said the mode, timing and location of the precision strikes ensured that collateral damage in the form of civilian casualties is kept to a minimum.