A ruthless act of terror has shattered the serenity of Pahalgam. It is yet another chilling reminder that peace in the Kashmir Valley remains precarious. With the recent attack claiming innocent lives, it’s time to confront a hard truth: Complacency and misjudgment are proving just as dangerous as enemy guns.

This wasn’t just an attack on civilians — it was a calculated strike on India’s credibility, timed with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance. Today, Kashmir faces a new breed of militancy. Intelligence estimates indicate the presence of around 60 foreign terrorists in the Valley. Half of them are linked to The Resistance Front (TRF) — a proxy outfit for Lashkar-e-Taiba, operating under a softer, more local-sounding label to dodge global scrutiny.

What makes TRF and similar groups more dangerous is their adoption of hybrid terrorism. This model doesn’t rely on trained gunmen in fatigues crossing the Line of Control. It uses radicalised locals, operating as civilian shadows, who are handed pistols or grenades to carry out targeted attacks, and then vanish into the crowd. These one-time operatives leave behind no digital footprint, no family linkages, and no predictable pattern for the security grid to follow. It’s terrorism by stealth and tailor-made to frustrate conventional intelligence and policing.

Vance’s high-profile visit should have been enough to tighten the net across sensitive areas. Instead,........

© Indian Express