Listen to this article:

Nearly a week after the brutal massacre of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, the Modi government’s response has been marked by emotional outrage, promises of justice, and some immediate diplomatic measures against Pakistan. 

Yet, several critical elements remain conspicuously absent from the aftermath, elements that are essential not only for justice and accountability but also for restoring public confidence, safeguarding national unity, and preventing future disaster. 

Here is a breakdown of what’s missing from the Modi government so far:

While Indian authorities and security experts have pointed to Pakistan-based groups – specifically The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba proxy – as responsible for the attack, the government has not yet presented clear, public evidence linking Pakistan’s state apparatus directly to the operation.

Pakistan has denied involvement, even calling for international investigations, while some of its ministers have made contradictory and self-incriminating statements.

However, a detailed, evidence-backed public briefing, which is crucial for international credibility and domestic consensus, is still missing from the Modi government.

The government has admitted to “security lapses” in a closed-door all-party meeting and acknowledged that local authorities opened the Baisaran area without proper security clearance. The latter has been reported to be a misleading claim, meant to deflect the responsibility from the security setup run by J&K LG Manoj Sinha and Union home minister Amit Shah.

However, there has been no independent or public-facing inquiry into how a heavily guarded, tourist-frequented area was left vulnerable, nor any release of........

© The Wire