The signal from the terrorists who rained bullets on tourists on Tuesday, killing in cold blood 26 people at Pahalgam, one of the Kashmir Valley’s most sylvan destinations, is unmistakable. They aimed to derail the economic revival underway in J&K and to set the clock back in the Union Territory. Tourism has been at the heart of the resurgence in the Valley. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha have all spoken of the tourist economy being the result of, and becoming a harbinger of, a deepening peace. The fact that a popularly elected government, led by the National Conference, came to power last year, and the fact that the election saw an impressive voter turnout, added to the stirrings of hope and optimism. It’s clear that the scripting of a new Kashmir story has bred anxiety among the malevolent powers across........

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