Terror in Pahalgam: The Jugular Vein Doctrine

The photograph of a newlywed bride, with the traditional choora or bangles still on her wrists, sitting stunned next to her dead husband, will remain an enduring image of the carnage at Pahalgam — a brutal act by those who have put humanity to shame.

That it was the work of Pakistani terrorists, backed by the Pakistani army, is a no-brainer. No Kashmiri Muslim, even if he were a militant, could have specifically targeted tourists who have been contributing significantly to Kashmir’s economy, especially over the past six years.

Statistics clearly show that the tourist season had begun even better this year and was poised to break all records in the coming summer months. It must also be noted that while earlier attacks were on pilgrims and migrant labourers, this one specifically targeted tourists.

Evidently, the attack on tourists — where only the men were targeted on religious grounds while women and children were spared — was aimed at attracting international attention, particularly during the visit of United States Vice President J. D. Vance.

Notably, a previous massacre in Kashmir — that of Sikhs living in Chhatisinghpora — had occurred during the visit of then U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2000. Our intelligence and security forces should have heightened their vigilance during the Vice President’s visit.

However, such an attack would have required long-term planning and could not have been executed without the active involvement of the Pakistan army. The recovery of shells and other ammunition from the site of the massacre leaves no doubt about the involvement and support of the Pakistani military establishment.

The attack comes in the wake of provocative statements by none other than the Pakistan army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, who described Kashmir as the “jugular vein” of his country while addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 16.

Emphasising the importance Pakistan attaches to Kashmir, and how deeply it is embedded in the national psyche, he said:

“It was our jugular vein, it is our jugular vein, we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brethren in their heroic struggle against the Indian occupation.”

For someone who believes that Kashmir is the most important issue facing his country, it is obvious that he and his establishment would be planning and supporting all such efforts to disrupt normal life in the region.

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack on tourists near Pahalgam. While LeT was banned in Pakistan under mounting internal pressure, the organisation merely changed its name, as the country’s rulers conveniently looked the other way.

Gen. Munir’s statement reflects the growing desperation in Pakistan, as ordinary Kashmiris begin to enjoy the fruits of peace and development in the Valley following the abrogation of Article 370 and the Centre’s focus on restoring normalcy.

The once-frequent incidents of stone-pelting on security forces and repeated calls for hartals have given way to accelerated developmental work and a return to normalcy, including the reopening of educational institutions, the revival of trade, and the return of tourists.

This was perhaps too much for the Pakistani establishment to reconcile with. On top of that, there has been an escalation in rebel activities within Pakistan itself.

The country’s defence forces are under increasing domestic scrutiny and pressure for their failure to tackle a resurgent Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has challenged civilian authority in parts of the northwest.

Additionally, the Balochistan Liberation Army has intensified its operations — most recently by hijacking a passenger train with 380 people on board. Pakistanis have been blaming India for supporting Baloch rebels, and many see the Pahalgam attack as “revenge” for the train hijacking and the killing of several passengers.

This line of thinking was echoed in a recent interview with noted Pakistani author Ayesha Siddiqa, whose sympathies with the Pakistani military establishment are well known. In the interview, she trivialised the Mumbai attacks, rationalised jihadist violence as “tactical,” and — perhaps inadvertently — accepted the Pakistani establishment’s role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In response to a question about the attack, she admitted, “We did that,” but claimed the Pakistani establishment had “moved on” and was no longer interested in revisiting its past or the continued presence of terrorists on Pakistani soil.

As in the past, no condemnation of the massacre has come from the Pakistan government, although U.S. President Donald Trump was among the first to call Prime Minister Modi to offer condolences and any assistance required to trace the culprits.

The Prime Minister has rightly cut short his visit abroad, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Srinagar within hours of the massacre. The government must now come out with a clear strategy to deal with terrorists backed by the Pakistan army. The response should be swift and on a scale that the perpetrators will remember for a long time.

Even though such an attack occurred after a long interval, it is not merely a wake-up call — it is a reaffirmation of the reality that Pakistan continues to try to bleed India with “a thousand cuts,” a doctrine first espoused by former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and now seemingly embedded in the strategic thinking of Pakistan’s military establishment.

This article was first published in Punjab Today News and can be read here.