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Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
After Pahalgam, presence is patriotism—Kashmir calls, and nation must answer
Mudasir Dar is a social and peace activist based in South Kashmir. He is a Rashtrapati Award recipient in world scouting and has contributed to many local and national publications on a diverse range of topics, including national security, politics, governance, peace, and conflict. LESS ... MORE There are moments when the soul of a land mourns—not only because it is wounded, but because it fears being forgotten. The terror attack in Pahalgam was one such moment. It was not merely an act of barbaric violence; it was a calibrated message designed to fracture bonds, to generate silence, and to revive isolation. In its horror, it targeted not just pilgrims, but the very idea of national integration. It was meant not only to kill, but to separate Kashmir from India's emotional geography once again. But what followed—what continues to unfold in the days after—may be more dangerous than the attack itself. Tourist bookings have plummeted. Hotel cancellations have multiplied. Footsteps that once filled our gardens, markets, and meadows have gone missing. This retreat, if allowed to persist, is not just a humanitarian loss or an economic downturn—it is a strategic gift to Pakistan. We must understand what this truly is: psychological warfare. Pakistan does not merely aim to infiltrate our borders—it seeks to infiltrate our imagination. Its goal is not only to destroy lives, but to dismantle narratives. The Pahalgam attack was not a random strike—it was a sophisticated attempt to unravel a decade of progress, connectivity, and emotional trust between Kashmir and the rest of the nation. And by choosing not to come here now, we risk validating that strategy. Kashmir's tourism is not merely an economic activity—it is a form of cultural integration. It is also a vibrant connection from Srinagar to Surat and from Pulwama to Pune. Every Indian who travels here helps shatter the myth that Kashmir is cut off, dangerous, or hostile. Over 2.35 crore tourists recorded J&K as their travel destination in 2024, the highest recorded number in history. This was not simply a business boom, it was a revival of faith, a reclamation of place and this was the result of the policies of the Indian Government, Particularly the office of LG administration. These visitors, after just one attack, stop that retreat and threaten to undo more than just economic profitability. It risks the social contract between Kashmir and the rest of India, which has been painstakingly pieced together through sustained dialogue, development, and a lot of contact among ordinary citizens. Tourism is not the lifeline of Kashmir's economy, but the region cannot withstand another further emotional ostracism. This is not just a tragedy of economy only but goes much deeper – it is a societal issue. Mourning is not enough for Kashmiris. We need to respond to this with a civil disobedience movement anchored in humanity. More than just condemning violence, we need to work towards taking action that shows we welcome peace. I had the privilege of hosting and leading two impactful protests a few hours after the Pahalgam attack, myself, in Pulwama. One of the protests was a large scale street protest which was attended by several youth mobilization groups, traders, and even transport union and civil society groups. The other one was a candle light vigil celebrating and paying homage to the deceased, as well as intentionally inspiring our shared conscience. The most delightful thing about these events is that the main slogans were 'Yeh jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche Pakistan hai.' And best believe this is the kind of anger that is simply fueled by emotions. It takes some regained consciousness. For the very first time, Pulwama a district who for so long has been unreasonably labeled returned, partially,.' and in the other sense stood proudly, head crowned and chest forward, for the unity of the nation and started publicly resisting terror. This will require broader effort over a longer timeline than one district in one day. There needs to be a movement for peace that peoples march towards—not ideology-driven but civic conviction. From mosques to markets, schools to shrines, there is a need for Kashmir to become a region of positive assertion. We cannot limit our condemnation to mere words. Let it spill, let it aggressively diffuse into warmth. Let it resonate through welcome. Every local hand reaching out to a tourist should physically advertise how strong the counter-narrative is to the one terrorists tried to impose. The attack in Pahalgam was distinctly sectarian where tourists were asked their religion before being executed. The goal was not just to kill, but to create an appeal for violence and disorder throughout India, sow division across communities, and instigate distrust. The killing and the public outcry from Kashmiris and the rest of Indian society demonstrates immense strength and 'submission.' That violence, and anger is in itself a statement which is bound by greater defiance. And as the nation grieved, the Government of India responded with strategic resolve. Operation Sindoor, the first of its kind operation done against the terrorists in Pakistan after independence, a calibrated precision strike on terrorists and terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, it was not just a military action—it was a statement: terror will not be tolerated, and every act of violence will be answered. It was a show of sovereign will. But military strength must now be matched with civic courage. It is here that every Indian must ask themselves: what is my role? Is it enough to express sorrow and light candles? Or do we have a duty to confront terror not only on the battlefield—but on the boulevards of Srinagar and the banks of Dal Lake? Come to Kashmir—not as tourists, but as defenders of a national promise. Your presence here is not a holiday—it is a declaration that the nation will not yield to fear. When you walk through the markets of Pulwama or share a meal in a Ganderbal home, you are not just engaging in travel—you are standing between Kashmir and those who seek to break it apart. Because if you don't come—if you allow fear to triumph over fellowship—you will be doing exactly what Pakistan wants. You will be conceding that terrorism can redraw maps, not only political, but emotional. You will be saying, however inadvertently, that Kashmir is dispensable. The exodus of the Pandit community In the year 1990 went unaddressed by the country with any level of urgency, and neither did it respond during the time where action was most crucial. It was filled not by resolution—but by radicalism. Making that mistake forms of violence and inhumane forms of suppression that create suffering to countless human lives and pain to as many families. Nonetheless, radicalism did take place form such violence inflicts horrendous levels of destruction on civilizations, fostering the birth of new violent factions. Here we take a look at today's situation with the view encapsulated in the above lines. Pakistan's doctrine depends on disconnection. Let us not offer it on a silver platter. Kashmir is speaking. The people are protesting. The youth are rejecting violence. And now, they look to the rest of India and ask: will you stand with us, or will you disappear? Moreover, the results of that withdrawal will not be restricted only to the Valley. It will encourage the adversaries while demoralizing the moderates, and reinforce the delusion that India is a nation where parts can be abandoned under pressure. That delusion is disastrous. The essence of a nation is not held together by flags alone, but rather by the resolve of its people to endure and be present even when it is challenging. This is not a moment for hesitation. It is a moment for defiance. For quiet courage. For everyday nationalism. Come. Be here. Not just for us, but for the India that refuses to be fragmented. Because if we retreat now, we are not just cancelling vacations—we are cancelling our claim, our connection, and ultimately, our conscience. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Blood in the valley: How Pakistan's strategic jihad betrayed Kashmiriyat again
Mudasir Dar is a social and peace activist based in South Kashmir. He is a Rashtrapati Award recipient in world scouting and has contributed to many local and national publications on a diverse range of topics, including national security, politics, governance, peace, and conflict. LESS ... MORE The serene atmosphere in Pahalgam on April 22nd 2025 was transformed into a dreadful nightmare when a gruesome act of violence occurred. Mass killing of innocent families was orchestrated which resulting in the death of twenty-eight tourists—men, women, and children, in a calculated manner. It is chilling to note that this unthinkable and repugnant act was done simply because the victims held the misconception that Kashmir was regaining stability and the alluring valley that was ruthlessly conflicted was soothing and recovering. The massacre wasn't executed merely for the sake of killing. It was done to propagate specific ideology—a violent agenda containing pseudo-religious reasoning. This was not created within the woods of Kashmir, rather in the battle strategizing rooms of Rawalpindi. With this strategy, the bloody actuality becomes even clearer. For instance, the core of it all is exposed when looking extremally close to the heart of Pakistan's army, Asim Munir. The man seems to be the only living human without empathy—who combines spirituality and militaristic sovereignty and inverse of love. Seeing this brutality as an outbreak divorced from the context of history is to misinterpret history profoundly. Pahalgam is all too familiar with the pain that comes with bleeding wounds. Terrorists had once attacked pilgrims near Pahalgam, leaving 32 dead in 2000. In 2002, yet another attack was launched on yatris in Anantnag. And the common thread? Civilians. Non-perpetrators. Peace ful and pluralistic Indians alongside tourists – the very essence of India's composite nationalism. This pain, both strategically and symbolically orchestrated, is planned. It exists within an extensive strategic plan – a continuum of Pakistan's hybrid warfare doctrine which intertwines religion with insurgency, jihad with borders, and creates a false narrative of rebellion where there, in truth, is none. This latest attack must be seen as doctrinal terrorism, especially because it happened just days following General Munir's incendiary speech at the Overseas Pakistani Convention. When a serving general quotes martyrdom, the defense of Kalima, and the metaphysical imperative to wage 'sacred struggle,' it is none of those things—it is operational signaling. In Pakistan, military grammar constructs jihad not only as personal; it is also policy. There is a Munir focus, steeped in scholarly Quranic remnants and the synthesis of Zia-ul-Haq Islam, which seems to fuel history's myopic fury. It also seems to bring additional post-theological zealotry to Pakistan's already militarized institutions. The notion of Pakistan being viewed as a 'strategic depth' for qualifying Islamic resurgence is now being reanimated.' In this captivating vision, the valley is not simply region—it is drenched in a prophesied narrative that reframes capital punishment: 'liberation' or ruthless reckoning. Yet, the most profound scar is reserved for those unassuming travelers. They set foot on the Kashmiri land as tourists, aiming to witness saffron blossoms, under gaping through pine-covered ridges, and partaking in kehwa sipping under the Chinar trees, all devoid of the welcoming bullets and fire. In this region, it would quintessentially morally wrong to harm a guest, but alas, this guest was targeted in the name of hospitality. In enabling them to attack not just the Indian government, but Kashmir's moral fulcrum, showed the lengths those perpetrators will go to rip apart universal kindness. Rather, they did not impersonate ordinary lunatics, but hostile ones. Kashmiriyat was singlemindedly put to rest, torn to shreds, without discrimination, burning chronicles of civility and kindness in their wake. This transforms the attack from tragic to symbolic. The Jihadist machinery in Pakistan has systematically attacked the threads of Kashmir's connectivity with India, especially those that oppose their story. Whether it's a Kashmiri shopkeeper aiding tourists during an Amarnath Yatra or a Hindu pilgrim being sheltered by a Muslim villager, these tales inflict greater harm to Pakistan than any tank or troop ever could. Let's not fool ourselves. The Pahalgam attack is just the latest chapter in a long, violent strategy that began in 1947, when Pakistan sent armed raiders into Kashmir to seize it by force before it could lawfully join India. What we saw in 1948, 1965, 1971, and again in Kargil in 1999 weren't just failed wars—they were repeated failures to accept reality and abandon a dangerous fantasy. During the '90s this fascination was given a makeover and rebranded as 'bleeding India with a thousand cuts' in the era of Zia and then Musharraf. LEJ and JEM were not stray entities; they had a nurtured state sponsored ideology of arms, theology, and political legitimacy. They wiped out both Hindus and Muslims. They expelled the Pandits. They torched educational institutions. They stifled literary poets. What they sought was not freedom, it was terror induced purity. While the ideology may have changed, its root purpose remains the same: turn Kashmir into a region that cannot be inhabited, governed, or restored, not for the people of Kashmir, but for the concept of India. This ideologgy seems to be waning today. A new discourse has developed, though not without its problems; certainly, it is sharper in aim and focus. After assembly elections, there is a 'trickle down' effect of investment and participation from the grassroots level. Young men from erstwhile 'no-go' villages like Lelhar and Karimabad are organizing Tiranga rallies. Hijab-clad girls are becoming IAS officers. This is the change which Pakistan truly fears. Because the success of Kashmir is wholly inconsistent with the Two Nation Theory – Pakistan's founding fable – and renders it useless. Every Kashmiri Muslim thriving within the Indian democracy serves as a direct danger to the ideological backbone of the Islamic Republic. And every tourist who dares to feel safe spending time in Kashmir is an affront to the terror narrative. This is why the attack happened. Not because of strength, but out of desperation. That was Pakistan's strategic scream amid its fraying fantasy. India should mourn, yes, but with a resolve. These twenty-eight lives cannot just be numbers—these must be emblems of a profound awakening. This is the moment to be diplomatically daring. We cannot simply scrutinize busts as here say; we must reveal Munir's declarations for what they are—acts of sponsored extremism—on international stages. The glare of scrutiny, particularly from Western nations who financially support Pakistan's stricken economy while masquerading as peacemakers, needs to witness the consequences of their complacency. However, we must also protect the heart of Kashmir. Refrain from directing any form of retribution toward the helpless Kashmiris who, like the deceased, are victims of terrorism. Let the narrative of healing, unity, and resistance be forged adorned with positive hues. If we chose to be hateful in our mourning, we grant them the power they want—the power to manipulate our actions. The Baisaran will shine again, and the Chinars will bloom again too. But even then, the wound of Pahalgam will not fade too soon…and nor should it. Let it remind us of the costs of ideological appeasement. Let it strengthen our resolve against those who wish to carve this land into pieces with the help of rifles and religion. And let it be heard across every valley and village that Kashmir's destiny does not rest in dictatorial theocracy—but in democracy, dignity, and peace. Let the blood that was spilled in Pahalgam nourish the tree of hope. Let the world be informed, 'Kashmiris have chosen life,' and, 'India will defend that decision—through history, justice, and when needed, war.' Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
