Testing time for the nation

Yesterday’s attack in pahalgam is perhaps the worst in recent memory even the pulwama attack on the crpf convoy pales in comparison as it was a suicidal explosion without any calculation of casualties whereas yesterday’s was calculated cold blooded killing from close range even to the extent of individual identification and the attackers fled without any resistance. The incident has forced many questions otherwise silenced by the narrative building apparatus. Firstly the usual question of intelligence and security failure. In the peak tourist season no security was visible even after the attacks and reports of possible intelligence warnings indicate to either complacency or lack of coordination between the agencies. Blaming the newly elected UT government or the democratic process is utterly malicious as neither the wing clipped UT administration has any control over law and order, long appropriated by the union, nor was the president rule free from attacks. The pulwama incident took place in the period. The Ministry Of Home Affairs and its all powerful minister Mr Amit Shah needs to take responsibility now. The second question is of holding the government accountable for its tall claims both during demonetization and abrogation of article 370. That an entire state was put under curfew like conditions for months including a 172 days internet shutdown, the longest ever in any democracy, and stripped of its statehood without any debate or explanation in the name of security and that too to no avail. Next is the question of indiscriminate propaganda of normalization by the government which has inspired huge domestic tourist flow and that too shedding all caution, imagine a machinery shouting bomb alert every 5 minutes in each city market saying everything is fine in Kashmir. Government propaganda had mobilized huge kumbh gathering earlier this year which resulted in an unprecedented stampede. Such propaganda needs to be held accountable. Then we have the lieutenant governor threatening bulldozer action, the trademark action of the regime. Is this the way we are going to fight alienation amongst the Kashmiris? With the disquiet at china border in ladakh the army is stretched. This is purely a political and diplomatic failure. We must realize that security apparatus is not a substitute for democratic engagement. This attack should not become another excuse for weakening the democratic process and institutions. Trust is not a short harvest and isn’t transactional either. It needs to be cultivated as a creed. The Pakistan question cannot be ignored too. We have a weak, politically and economically unstable Pakistan beside us. One upmanship with it will be to our own detriment. Our loquacious foreign minister needs to get his act in place too. Lastly we need to save the situation from becoming communalized. The prime minister needs to rise to the occasion and take the opposition into confidence and speak to the nation in the circumstances.