Red line crossed, India weighs responses to Pahalgam terror attack
Centre has been noting huge escalation in chatter emanating from Pakistan in recent days, including provocative statements from Pak army chief, say sources
A red line has been crossed. The Pahalgam attack is one of the biggest massacres of civilians in the valley since the 2000 Chittisinghpora killings, in which 36 Sikhs were gunned downed.
The Indian government is now weighing options to punish the perpetrators.
“It all depends on what are the options on the table. The Resistance Front (TRF) is nothing but Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). And the initial probe points towards Pakistan’s complicity as the TRF commander Saifullah Sajid Jatt operates from there only,” a source told The Federal.
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Another source said there was a huge escalation in the chatter emanating from Pakistan in recent days. Provocative statements from the Pakistan army chief Asim Munir and terrorist outfits had been duly noted by India. There is an urgent need to bring more clarity on how the attackers were being guided from across the border. But one thing is sure — that the attack won’t go unpunished.
India’s response
Following the Uri attack of September 18, 2016, India targetted the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC) 10 days later and announced it in a press conference on September 29, 2016.
On February 14, 2019, a CRPF bus was attacked by terrorists in Pulwama, resulting in the deaths of 40 troopers. Twelve days later, India conducted air raids on Balakot terror camps.
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Sources say the armed forces have already been asked to come up with options to respond to the Pahalgam attack. Some of these options must have already been rehearsed by the components of the armed forces, which are generally tasked for such responses. They might be asked to come up with a tailor-made response rather than something off the shelf.
NIA conducting probe
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been brought into the picture to carry out a probe into the attack.
“The NIA is a professional investigation agency and follows its Standard Operating Procedure for the collection of all the evidence from the scene of crime," YC Modi, former NIA chief who supervised the probe into the Pulwama attack, told The Federal.
"NIA investigators are already on the job as sketches of the attackers have been released. The attack went on for more than 20 minutes. Therefore, eye-witnesses will be asked to bring more clarity on the identity and other details including the language of the attackers. Scientific evidence will be collected through the use of forensic experts.
"The TRF has claimed responsibility and cyber experts will be utilised to assist in the investigation. Sympathisers of different terrorist groups including LeT will be brought under the scanner,” he added.
Help of locals
Modi pointed out that another important aspect is the coordination and cooperation from the local police and intelligence agencies in gathering evidence.
Also Read: Kashmir dailies go black to protest Pahalgam terror attack
“I believe that all law enforcement agencies will put their best efforts to bring the perpetrators of this dastardly terror attack to justice. India, under the present political leadership, does not forget and forgive the criminals who try to attack the sovereignty and integrity of the country, ‘’ he added.
The NIA managed to bring out Pakistan’s clear complicity in the Pulwama attack after a thorough probe carried out in the challenging days of Covid.
Well-planned attack
Sources told The Federal the attack seems to have been well-planned, and it involved a rehearsal, too.
The place of the attack, the Baisaran forest area, is frequented by tourists but is not accessible by vehicles. The attackers deliberately picked the area as they knew any possible search operation and response from security forces will take time.
After the attack, choppers and drones were pressed into service to look for the attackers, but didn’t yield any results.
Also Read: 'Go, tell Modi’: Woman gets chilling message after husband killed in Pahalgam
The world community has been emphatic in condemning the attack. Following the surgical strikes of 2016 and the 2019, the world community, by and large, has recognised India’s right to retaliate in case of such terror strikes.
