Another terror attack in Kashmir, another cycle of grief, rage, nationalism, and retaliation. The script is well-rehearsed—anger erupts, accusations fly, markets respond, and defence contracts materialise. Yet amid the sorrow and fury, the most critical question remains ignored: who truly benefits from these tragedies?
Not the civilians, who bury their loved ones. Not the soldiers, who sacrifice themselves in endless conflict. Instead, the victors are found in corporate boardrooms and political chambers, where war and terror serve as tools for power and profit.
Defence industries thrive as nations rush to upgrade arsenals, purchasing drones, missiles, and surveillance technologies. Political leaders, immune to scrutiny in the haze of nationalism, tighten their grip while deflecting from governance failures. Media houses convert tragedy into spectacle, fuelling viewership and ad revenue. Terror groups themselves gain recruits, funding, and ideological validation with every strike.
Meanwhile, foreign powers subtly advance their own interests. While India remains embroiled in Kashmir, broader strategic concerns—like the Indo-Pacific—drift into secondary focus. Global defence companies secure lucrative deals, intelligence agencies refine their objectives, and the geopolitical chessboard tilts ever so slightly in favour of those who exploit perpetual instability.
Yet the common citizen is only expected to grieve, rage, and demand action, without questioning deeper motives. Few follow the financial gains behind military buildups or the contracts signed after each attack. Fewer still examine the laws quietly passed while they are consumed by the latest outrage.
It is time to break the illusion. Patriotism is not measured by the loudness of calls for revenge but by the vigilance with which we scrutinise power. If we are to reclaim genuine security and justice, we must monitor actions, not rhetoric. The next time Kashmir bleeds, let us not just ask who fired the bullet—let us ask who profits from its trajectory.
