As the valley bleeds, the nation remains gripped by shock and outrage after 28 tourists were gunned down in broad daylight, right before the eyes of their loved ones. Kashmir’s Pahalgam witnessed a chilling terrorist attack, where victims were reportedly asked their names and then selectively shot dead. Some were allegedly forced to recite verses from the Quran, and their bodies examined to determine whether they were Muslim or Hindu.
The incident coincides with Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia and U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s trip. In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his visit and returned. When he arrived, a top-level meeting took place at the Delhi airport. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the meeting. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also joined the meeting. After hearing about the incident, Home Minister Amit Shah immediately went to Kashmir.
Modi’s Aeroplane Avoided Pakistani Airspace
As the nation anticipates India’s response to the attacks, reports indicate that Narendra Modi’s aircraft avoided Pakistani airspace on his return journey from Saudi Arabia. Despite the strained diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan, Modi’s plane bypassed Pakistan’s airspace. On his outbound trip to Saudi Arabia, however, Modi had used Pakistan’s airspace, the shortest route to the Gulf.
He chose to take an alternative route, Arabian Sea on his return journey which is more expensive comparatively.
Social Media Calls For Surgical Strikes
Social media has been flooded with calls for retaliatory surgical strikes similar to the Uri and Balakot airstrikes. An user wrote: “India Need Surgical Strike 3 If not possible then plz you all resign..Nothing is in your hand.” A few wrote: #surgical strike is inevitable, with pictures of Pehalgam.
2016 URI Surgical Strike
On September 28–29, 2016, the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting multiple terrorist launch pads. This decisive action came in response to a deadly terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, on September 18, which claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. Marking a significant shift in India’s military doctrine, the strike was the first publicly acknowledged cross-border operation in recent times. It sent a strong message to Pakistan, signalling India’s resolve to respond proactively and assertively to terrorism emanating from across the border.
2019 Balakot Airstrike
On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. In response, on February 26, the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. They targeted a training camp run by the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. This was the first time since the 1971 war that Indian fighter jets crossed the international border. The strike increased tensions between India and Pakistan. The next day, on February 27, both countries were involved in an aerial dogfight. Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan but was later safely returned.
