War is not an option; this is not a bad time to restore Statehood to J&K, says former RAW chief A.S. Dulat

The Hindu

28-04-2025

Amarjit Singh Dulat, former chief of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has had a long engagement with Kashmir, of which he has written about extensively. Following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, The Hindu spoke to him on the emerging situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Edited excerpts:
How do you see the recent terror attack in Pahalgam?
This was the worst of the worst attacks as innocent tourists were killed. Except for once earlier, when U.S. President Bill Clinton was visiting, tourists haven't been targeted. If they attack in Srinagar, it is difficult to escape. So they have selected this meadow outside Pahalgam. Unfortunately, there was no security, and it was 20 minutes before anyone could reach there, by which time the attackers had fled.
There has been talk of a 'Naya Kashmir', a rhetoric that terrorism has diminished in the past few years while tourist traffic has increased. But the Army has been facing casualties in the Poonch Rajouri area for some time now...
Violence had indeed come down. But it comes down and spikes again. The Poonch-Rajouri region is a thickly forested area. There have been a number of attacks on the Army in this region. In the last one year, there have been more attacks in Jammu. Recently, there were a few attacks in Kathua, and it came up close to Udhampur. That's where you start climbing to the [Kashmir] Valley, and [it] is the route to Pahalgam. Obviously, these terrorists seem to have created some bases in this belt; it is not as if they are coming and going every day. So, if you see this pattern, terror has not gone away, and the region has never been fully normal. Tourism doesn't mean normalcy in Kashmir.
There was spontaneous opposition to the attack in Kashmir this time. How do you see the Kashmiri sentiment evolving?
A short time of peace in the Valley was after the recent Assembly election in which the National Conference came back, sweeping the polls. The common Kashmiri felt finally there was a government of his (the voter's) in power. He slowly realised that it's only a half government. Law and order is now under the Lieutenant Governor. So the State government cannot be blamed for this attack.
For the time being, everybody in Kashmir is one and all the Kashmiri leaders have said they are with Delhi. This is a rare opportunity that should not be squandered away. The local Kashmiri should not suffer for whatever has happened. But slowly, there is a concern developing. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have also made statements that locals should not be targeted. The demolition of houses in this fashion is a concern to me as well.
Whatever the Government of India does, it should ensure to take the local Kashmiri along. In this context, it is not a bad time to restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The elected government in J&K should be supported and given credibility.
There have been demands for a 'fitting response', including even war with Pakistan. What do you think is the right response to build deterrence, given that previous trans-border actions don't seem to have achieved it?
I have always maintained war is not an option. Let us hope there is no war. Even if it comes to that, it is not just the last option but the last bad option. Neither country can afford a war. What other offensive options we have is for the government to decide.
But we have to create deterrence by increasing security, and ensuring the local Kashmiri is happy and is on our side. Let us hope that better sense prevails. I agree with the Prime Minister when he says the perpetrators of this attack should be found and punished. So let us find them.