Forget about the shrill TV anchors who want war, surgical strikes and maximum punishment for Pakistan. Forget about politicians who also demand much the same.

War hype does not work as national policy.

We are all outraged by the terror strike in Pahalgam which some feel was waiting to happen. All due to the complacency which has become a national habit. In the all-party meeting on Pahalgam, the Home Ministry has admitted to “lapse”. Whether it was a failure caused by gaps in intelligence gathering or in interpreting raw intelligence to accurately project the lurking threat may be debated. Public memory in India is short, institutional memory rare and officialdom memory conveniently resurrected to suit particular narratives like “all is well in Kashmir after abrogation of Art 370”. Truth is the casualty and incidents like the Pahalgam are the result.

It is true Kashmir’s tourism economy has sharply picked up in the last three years and the locals now have a huge stake in peace. Hence the furious anti-terror protests across the valley after Pahalgam, as economics and emotions converge to help Kashmiris reap the dividends of relative peace. But the frequent encounters between jihadis and security forces across Jammu and Kashmir did point to the continuing threat of terror strikes which could not be ignored.

What next is the inevitable question ? Do we take this lying down as a nation? Surely not. We need to impose a high cost on Pakistan, from where the terrorists came into Pahalgam. But can we go to war, even a limited war with........

© Eurasia Review