Pahalgam, a scenic town in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) often compared with Switzerland, became the centre of attention on 22 April 2025, when armed gunmen opened fire on tourists, in what the Indian media is terming as the worst attack on civilians since Mumbai 2008. This attack is not just another headline, it is a brutal reminder of the cost of unresolved conflict and the repeated subjugation of a people over decades. A pertinent question which arises here is: how many innocent people must die before the world stops pretending that the situation which Indian authorities have enabled in IIOJK since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution is normal?

A little known group called ‘The Resistance Front’ has claimed responsibility in a social media post

This latest attack resulted in the death of over 26 individuals while wounding 17 others. A little known group called ‘The Resistance Front’ has claimed responsibility in a social media post. The cited reason for the attack is their discontent with more than eighty thousand ‘outsiders’ settling in the region following the revocation of Kashmir’s special status in the Indian constitution. Interestingly, and perhaps tellingly, this group came into existence following Indian actions of August 2019.

Following the incident, Indian PM Narendra Modi cut short his state visit to Saudi Arabia and summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Likewise other Indian leadership postponed their overseas engagement to coordinate response measures. International condemnations also started pouring in with US President Trump pledging full support, while the US Vice President JD Vance, currently in India, also expressed his condolences. While the US president was quick to pledge support to India, no such support was forthcoming from the US for Pakistan following a similar incident when Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a train in Balochistan last month resulting in the death of twenty-one hostages.

Since the early 2000s, India has frequently cast Pakistan in a negative light repeatedly linking the country to incidents of resistance in the IIOJK

Given past precedent, what is likely to follow in the upcoming days is an oft repeated pattern of putting the blame on Pakistan, a tried and tested Indian template. Already the Indian media has started peddling this narrative, which is only likely to worsen in the coming days. Since the early 2000s, India has frequently cast Pakistan in a negative light repeatedly linking the country to incidents of resistance in the IIOJK. Pakistan, on the other hand, has time and again shared evidence with the international community of Indian false flag operations whereby India has taken certain kinetic actions and blamed Pakistan. The idea has been to put diplomatic pressure and isolate Pakistan at the international level. The 2016 Pathankot incident and what followed is a clear example of this Indian tactic.

Ignoring the grievances of the local people risks reducing IIOJK to a proxy battlefield where security measures drive a cycle of violence rather than addressing the root cause

What the Indian media or leadership would undoubtedly brush away is the heart of the crisis i-e, revocation of Kashmir’s special status on 5 August 2019. Since then, in a show of power, India has increased the number of its troops to over 500,000 in IIOJK, whereas in contrast, the total number of active troops in Pakistan is around 660,000. Sustained curfews, regular physical atrocities by the Indian troops and communication blackouts have altogether fueled intense resentment among Kashmiri locals, many of whom feel that their autonomy has been bulldozed by New Delhi. This development has led to acute demographic shifts and the development of indigenous home-grown resistance movements owing to continuous atrocities facing the people. Ignoring the grievances of the local people risks reducing IIOJK to a proxy battlefield where security measures drive a cycle of violence rather than addressing the root cause.

Drawing from historical examples, Christophe Jeffrelot, in his book, Gujarat Under Modi highlights that polarisation was a key strategy used by PM Modi in Gujarat

Drawing from historical examples, Christophe Jeffrelot, in his book, Gujarat Under Modi highlights that polarisation was a key strategy used by PM Modi in Gujarat and the same has been employed time and again since he became the Indian PM. One of the key tenets of this strategy is the deliberate fostering of communal division with the intension to deepen internal fault lines. Kashmir, as the latest victim of this strategy, is being rebranded from a political dispute requiring dialogue into a security problem which needs to be crushed through kinetic employment of state power.

Within this context, attacks like the one in Pahalgam are not anomalies; they are predictable flashpoints in a landscape which is deliberately simmering with unresolved trauma and alienation. Despite this clarity, the world is likely to continue to prescribe to India’s narrative of normalcy, glossing over the realities of fear, disenfranchisement and grief which are being faced by ordinary Kashmiris on a daily basis. The Modi government has done very little on ground to alleviate the grievances of the people within the valley, which is clearly a leading cause of home-grown resistance groups.

Normalcy is a mirage unless it is built on foundations of justice, political dialogue and cooperation of all involved stakeholders

Normalcy is a mirage unless it is built on foundations of justice, political dialogue and cooperation of all involved stakeholders. The situation requires a critical lens to understand the realities on the ground and then formulate policies which not only look at the situation from a Kashmiri perspective but also aim to address the underlying causes.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.