The recent terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed at least 26 people, has brought back painful memories of similar tragedies from Jammu and Kashmir’s past. Security officials have said that this pattern of terror attack on civilians is familiar as it is timed in a manner that gets international attention, which has happened before.
It is worth noting that this attack has been carried out when US Vice President JD Vance is visiting India, and PM Modi was on a trip to Saudi Arabia. But this isn’t the first time that such attacks have happened alongside key diplomatic events.
On March 20, 2000, just a day before former US president Bill Clinton’s visit to India, terrorists had killed at least 36 Sikh villagers in Chittisinghpora, Anantnag. The attack was linked to Pakistan-backed groups, and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had even raised the issue with Clinton during his visit.
Two years later, on May 14, 2002, another major attack was carried out while US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca was in India. The terrorists had attacked a bus near Kaluchak in Jammu and then entered an Army family housing area, killing 23 people — including 10 children and eight women. Many were reported to be injured even then. The youngest victim was just four years old.
The Pahalgam attack now appears to follow the same old pattern, coming just a week after a controversial statement by Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir, who called Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein.” India responded strongly through the Ministry of External Affairs.
He had said that Pakistan and India are very different in terms of religion, culture, and beliefs, and that this was the reason behind the creation of two separate nations. “We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle,” he had added.
In response, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Kashmir is a part of India and cannot be claimed by any foreign country. He added that the only connection Pakistan has with Kashmir is that it must leave the areas it is occupying illegally.
With global attention once again focused on Kashmir, the attack is being seen as a cruel attempt to stir fear and gain publicity — a tactic India has sadly witnessed before.
