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Build on support to isolate Pakistan

Pakistan cannot escape responsibility for the Pulwama attack
Last Updated 16 February 2019, 04:21 IST

The death of 40 CRPF jawans in a suicide bombing attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir has evoked much sadness, outrage and anger across the country. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least eight other jawans were seriously injured. The JeM suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the CRPF convoy near Awantipora on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. This is the deadliest attack faced by the CRPF in Kashmir. It was also the first suicide attack in Kashmir since 2001. The suicide bomber was a 22-year-old local who lived within miles of the attack site. These signal a worrying escalation in the radicalisation of Kashmiri youth. Delhi must respond robustly to protect its citizens, civilian and military. There have been failures at multiple levels. How did the suicide bomber manage to obtain 350 kilograms of explosive without Intelligence agencies sniffing out the plot? It’s the standard operating procedure to sanitise routes taken by convoys of security forces. Moreover, a warning had been sounded on February 8 that had specifically said security forces must sanitise areas of deployment citing inputs about an impending attack with improvised explosives. Did the sanitisation procedure fail?

By allowing anti-India terror groups to operate freely from its soil, Pakistan is enabling outfits like JeM to continue unleashing horrific violence on India. Pakistan cannot escape responsibility for the Pulwama attack. In retaliation, India has revoked the Most Favoured Nation trade status to Pakistan and is working to isolate the country internationally. This measured response must continue for India to build up and sustain pressure on Pakistan. Speaking on television news channels on Thursday night, politicians and security experts indulged in much jingoistic talk. With general elections around the corner, they can be expected to indulge in war-mongering. The Modi government must resist the temptation to reach for a military response in a hurry. Doing so may win it applause from its core vote base but it may not be a prudent strategy to protect citizens and national interests over the long-term. In fact, it could trigger a cycle of violence in Jammu and Kashmir that would be difficult to control.

Amidst all this, it is worrying that the Modi government is anxious to silence opinions critical of its moves. While the prime minister’s call to the nation to speak in one voice is understandable, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has cautioned TV news channels against carrying content that is “anti-national”; BJP leaders are riling against the opposition for imagined statements. The government will do well to focus on the enemy out there, rather than on democratic dissent at home. Several countries have spoken up in support of India. The government must build on this to isolate Pakistan diplomatically. This is the hour for cold calculation of options, costs and benefits of India’s response, and for sane and sober minds, not hot-heads, to craft the strategy.

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(Published 15 February 2019, 19:10 IST)

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