Mission successful

THE Pahalgam attackers, who managed to evade Indian security forces for over three months, have finally been eliminated. The success of Operation Mahadev, which involved the Army, CRPF and the J&K Police, has buoyed the Modi government amid a parliamentary debate on the terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Two of the three slain terrorists belonged to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including an “A-category commander”. This should suffice to silence the doubters — both in India and abroad — who suspected that home-grown terrorists perpetrated the April 22 massacre. Pakistan has been in denial mode from the outset, but India now has concrete evidence to up the ante against the incorrigible sponsor of terror.

The government’s all-out emphasis on Operation Sindoor, under which terror camps were targeted deep inside Pakistan, had pushed to the background the unfinished business of capturing or killing the attackers. That job has now been completed, even as the Opposition continues to ask uncomfortable questions about the security and intel lapses that led to the Pahalgam killings. The Centre, however, is insistent on looking at the larger picture, with Home Minister Amit Shah claiming that there are no local terrorists in Kashmir as the scrapping of Article 370 has destroyed the terror ecosystem in the state-turned-UT.

The Modi government, which is banking on infrastructure development to win over the people of J&K, must also prioritise the revival of tourism in coordination with the Omar Abdullah-led ruling alliance. The role of local residents in combating terrorists and restoring normalcy cannot be overemphasised. It is critical to ensure that nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals keep serving as the eyes and ears of the security forces. A free and fair probe into the death of a Gujjar youth, who was killed in police firing, can help in maintaining the community’s valuable support.

Editorials