On April 22, 2025 the quiet and serene Baisaran valley located near Pahalgam of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir was woken up by gunshots. Terrorists attacked tourists massacring 26 of them and injuring more than 20 others. The attack was carried out by a local terrorist outfit known by the name the resistance front (TRF) which is an offshoot of Lashkar- e- Taiba. The incident shook the very conscience of the country. The whole country was filled with grief and anger. Intelligence inputs established that Pakistan was behind the attack.

The Pahalgam attack and the lynching of the tourists is not the first attempt of Pakistan sponsored terrorists to wound Indian psyche and challenge Indian sovereignty on its own land. The very first challenge to Indian security and sovereignty has come from Pakistan within two months of partition of India and establishment of Islamic republic of Pakistan. Pakistan adopted an expansionist policy and invaded the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir through tribal invasion sponsored by its army. The Pakistan invasion of Jammu and Kashmir was an illegal and rogue attempt of Jinnah who had signed a “Standstill Agreement” with Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir on one hand and on the other hand he had planned “operation Gulmarg” within the blink of time after Pakistan independence. The operation was planned to occupy the kingdom of Maharaja Hari Singh by Jinnah and final shape to ‘operation Gulmarg” was given on 18th august 1947 just after 4 days of establishment of Islamic republic of Pakistan. Brigadier Sher khan and brigadier Akbar khan were given the responsibility of this operation by Jinnah and as per plan 20, 000 ex-soldiers of British Indian army were to be recruited by Pakistan army from north west frontier province to invade the territory of Maharaja Hari Singh in tribal guise by October 22, 1947 through numerous routes from Pakistan border.

Jinnah became confirmed that Jammu and Kashmir will go to India one day as his carrot and stick policy failed to trap Maharaja. Maharaja Hari Singh refused the advice and assurance of Lord Mountbatten for the protection of dynastic privileges of Maharaja, if he joins Pakistan because majority of his subjects belonged to Islam on the one hand. On the other hand he openly refused to the military threats of Jinnah and kept his negotiations with India for the merger of his state with India. Maharaja call for help from India and accession with India when his state was turned down by Pakistan sponsored tribals and military was the natural act of a ruler to protect the interest of his people and state against the calibrated attempts of Pakistan and great powers to occupy his state forcefully.

India’s military action and diplomatic attempts against the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan, however, has been restrained to vacate its territory from Pakistan. India did not act aggressively occupy and enter the territory of Pakistan from the other border routes of Pakistan pertaining with India. Moreover, despite Pakistan’s aggression and illegal occupying of territory of Jammu and Kashmir which happens to be an integral part of India as per the constitutional provisions, India continued its diplomatic relations with Pakistan and proved to be a friendly nation as it signed the “Indus Water Treaty” (IWT) with Pakistan in 1960. It is also pertinent to mention that once again Pakistan launched “Operation Gibraltar” to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir that resulted into full fledged war between India and Pakistan in 1965. This war ended with the “Tashkent Treaty” through which India and Pakistan assured the maintaining of status quo on the mutual borders.

The military aggression and intrusion into the Indian Territory of Jammu and Kashmir proved........

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