Pahalgam Terror Attack: An Assault on Kashmir, Unity, and India’s Soul
By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam
24 April 2025
The recent terror attack in Pahalgam is more than just a heinous crime—it is a strategic attempt to strike at the heart of Kashmir’s economy, its people, and India's communal fabric. This unprecedented assault on tourists, many of whom were families and children, has shaken the nation’s conscience. But it must also open our eyes.
For over three decades of unrest, one unspoken rule endured: tourists were not to be harmed. Tourism was the economic lifeline for thousands of Kashmiris. By breaching that line, the attackers have made it abundantly clear: their goal is not just terror, but economic ruin and civil war. The victims include not just innocent visitors, but also brave locals—like the pony handler reportedly killed while helping tourists escape. This was an attack on Kashmiris as much as on India.
Those reacting by targeting Indian Muslims or demanding constitutional amendments to strip them of rights are doing exactly what the masterminds in Pakistan intended. The goal is to fracture India from within, to stoke hate and destroy the communal harmony that binds our nation.
And sadly, some voices within the country are unwittingly aiding that effort. In his recent piece “Pahalgam Massacre: It’s Time to Ponder,” Sumit Paul launches into a bitter, sweeping attack on Islam and Muslims, using the tragedy not for national reflection but to advance his own ideological crusade. He conveniently ignores that Kashmir’s Muslim community, time and again, has been among the first to suffer and resist such violence. He says nothing of the Kashmiri Muslims who guided and rescued tourists, or those who condemned the attack unequivocally. Instead, he champions figures like Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen while ignoring my call to challenge violent misreading of Islamic texts from within the faith itself.
Condemnation alone is no longer enough.
We must demand accountability from those who planned, funded, and facilitated this attack—both across the border and within. Diplomatic pressure, intelligence operations, and international cooperation must now be pursued with renewed urgency.
But equally critical is our response at home.
We must not let our anger be hijacked by those who would turn Indians against Indians. To fall into that trap would be to hand the terrorists their victory. India must rise in grief, in unity, and in resolve. We must protect our pluralism with the same zeal with which we seek justice for our fallen.
The terrorists struck to divide. Let our response be to unite—with clarity, with courage, and with compassion.
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A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/pahalgam-terror-attack-kashmir-unity-india-soul/d/135284
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