BANALITY has remained an integral character of the Congress party since the massive electoral reverses it has faced in the last over a decade. The Grand Old Party is bereft of fresh ideas and it has also lost the sense of occasion just like its ‘forever young’ reluctant leader. The latest jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Pahalgam terror attack and impending Indian response to Pakistan highlights the mental bankruptcy in Congress. As it faces the trolls and wallows in its own political filth, India, that is Bharat, has shown the Congress how a catastrophe is dealt with. The pain of 26 murders in cold blood by fanatic Islamist terrorists is still heavy on Indian hearts. The scale and barbarism in the attack in the Baisaran valley of Pahalgam has left a deep scar on the country’s psyche. Revenge is a justified demand and if it means going to extremes in a military response, then India has given its assent to the government.

 

Leaving out the cacophony on the social media where war-mongering is a pastime for keyboard-warriors and ignoring the routine rabble-rousing by insensitive political elements, the Aam Hindustani has shown tremendous maturity to wait for a calibrated and calculated response to the perpetrators with show of strength and unity. India United has become a defining theme in this adversity. It is obvious that the targeted killing of Hindus in Kashmir valley was an attempt to break the Hindu-Muslim fabric in India. Already mired in misinformation and deliberate attempts to portray communal chasm in the country, the Hindu-Muslim relations were a soft target to foment trouble in India. The chilling accounts of Islamist terrorists singling out Hindus from among the tourists are grave enough to drive a communal wedge. But this diabolical plan was defeated by common Indians by putting up a sterling show of togetherness. The unprecedented demonstration of courage and outrage against terrorism by Kashmiris has, in fact, headlined the Indian response to Pakistan’s nefarious designs.

 

A total shutdown in J& K in last 35 years to protest the Pahalgam killings was a hammer-blow to Pak-sponsored extremism and separatists still harbouring dreams of breaking India. It was a show of immense pluck by a Muslim majority region which has realised that the benefits of systematic development in a democratic country weigh far heavier than the false dreams sold by a Rogue State struggling for survival. A deep sense of hurt and anguish has permeated the entire Union Territory. It was evident in the words and actions of the locals in Kashmir as they denounced the shameful attempt by separatists to scuttle their livelihood. Tourism remains the backbone of Kashmir. A steady boom in tourism has started to change the lives of locals.

 

Tourist footfalls have risen to over a crore in the last six years since the abrogation of Article 370. The dollops of investment under the New Industrial Policy have also started to cast a positive influence on the youth. Stone-pelting is a distant memory for the locals as well as the security forces. Youth is engaged in academic activities and earning livelihood even as tourist influx is touching new records. World-class infrastructure, medical facilities, industries, global recognition for Kashmiri handicraft are changing the face of the erstwhile State. The smokescreen erected by selfish political and separatist elements in J& K is withering away.

 

The UT has woken up to a new dawn — of development and a bright future. It is coming out of the heavy influence of ‘a few families’ who had held sway over the erstwhile State. The change was bound to be tested by anti-India forces with their only tool of terrorism. However, this time they have failed, and that too spectacularly. The pain of the tragedy is too deep to be forgotten. It is a long and winding grief for the entire country. It will take some time to heal. But the strong response by India to overcome the heartbreak and remain united in face of provocation has shaped the biggest retort to terrorism. Within a few days of the attack, tourists are back in Kashmir with a message that the spirit of India cannot be broken by a few bullets sprayed by some madmen. Life is returning to normalcy in the valley, much quicker than it was expected. Elsewhere in the country, barring a few sporadic incidents, the Indian society has remained calm and composed, refusing to buy the Hindu-Muslim hatred card. Cutting across religious lines, there has been vehement condemnation of the terror attack around India.

 

Grief has brought the country together. The initial vulnerable moments, when things used to spiral out of control previously, have been tackled with great maturity by India. Now is the time to raise the scale and magnitude of our response — by the Union Government — to the enemy across the border as well as within the country. The nation is seething in anger, watching eagerly how the harshest-ever response to Pakistan is planned. Offensive has started on diplomatic and political level with the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, extradition of diplomats and Pakistani citizens. But a military retaliation is awaited. Notwithstanding the geopolitical pulls and alignments, the country is awaiting a response that has to go beyond diplomatic niceties. For, it is a war of our own.

 

How the international community thinks of the Pahalgam tragedy can be gauged from the meek statement by the United Nations Security Council. It has come out with a plain statement without naming anybody for the brutal killings. It is obvious that the world will condemn terrorism but will always desist to draw a red line for Pakistan. It has to be done by India. Now.