Twenty-five years after 9/11, when “We Are All Americans” became a universal mantra, there is a pressing need to understand how the faces of terrorism and counter-terrorism have evolved globally. It is worth noting that Jammu and Kashmir experienced its own series of “9/11 moments” both before and after the 2001 attacks in New York. Yet, these repeated atrocities never invoked the same global reaction as the strikes on America. Now, as India takes decisive measures to defend its sovereignty by targeting terrorists and their backers directly across the border, the world is taking cues on how to fight terrorism: by taking the fight straight to the terrorists’ home.

Had counter-terrorist operations been conducted with the speed and scale witnessed in recent years, the story of Jammu and Kashmir would have been different.The definition of a 9/11- style attackshould not be judged solely by the catastrophic event. Instead, the true gravity of terrorism needs to be analysed by the lethal intent of the perpetrators and their sponsors. It is precisely through this lens that Jammu and Kashmir reveals a long-standingsystemic pattern of such existential threats.

Consequently, any discourse on global terrorism remains fundamentally incomplete without bringing Jammu and Kashmir into the frame.In the months following the 2001 attacks, the then-Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, frequently shared a telling anecdote. His domestic help rushed into the living room, breathless, where Abdullah was seated with an American guest. The helper urged them to turn on the television, which was broadcasting live, horrific images of planes striking the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.As the terror unfolded on screen, the American guest huddled in his armchair,........

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