The dastardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam in J&K is the deadliest act of terror in recent times and is particularly reprehensible because it targeted civilians and had an added communal dimension. The daring act of it all is a chilling throwback to the Lashkar-plotted carnage that rocked Mumbai city in 2008. The attack aims to reignite fear and stall the Valley’s hard-earned return to normalcy. With over million tourists visiting J&K in 2024 and more than 70 per cent of livelihoods in places like Pahalgam linked to tourism, the region’s fragile recovery is at risk. Many locals who had taken loans to invest in tourism-related businesses face devastating losses post-Pahalgam massacre. Indian agencies will have to track down the killers, establish their identities, figure out how they reached Pahalgam and plug loopholes in the security system that enabled them to target the tourist hotspot. The onus is now on the political and security establishment in New Delhi and Srinagar to work together, uncover the terror networks and linkages and gather evidence so that the real culprits and perpetrators of terrorism can be nailed down.
