Pahalgaon terror attack on innocents shakes the whole world conscience

Chandigarh:  Terrorist attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgaon on April 22,  has raised a  heavily loaded question ! Can India, a dominently Hindu population  stay Secular any more ?

Tragic attack on Secular  Hindu (Indian)  tourists at the popular hill station of Kashmir, has angered every Indian citizen,  cutting across religious, pollitical  and geographics boundaries.  Wisemen among the Muslims  are as much  infuriated as much the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians or  from any other faith,  on  the cruel killings of  civilians, unarmed men, women and kids, who had  travelled hundreds of miles to  Kashmir to  spend a few days  in the “Switzerland of India”.  The prominent leaders of all political parties voiced their  dismay at  the cruel  killing of  26 innocent  tourists by  rabbidly radicalised fanatics, in the “Jannat on the Earth” as  the beautiful state of India is called. Everyone has  called for  examplary punishment to the  killers and their trainers/supporters.

The top leaders of the world, including  America, Russia,  Israel, Japan, England and others have condemned the  dastardly and inhuman act of  Pak trained millitants in Pahalgaon and  supported all actions by the Indian govt. to punish the  cuprits. The Secretary General of United Nation António Guterres has also expressed his angush over tragic happening.

The peaceful atmosphere in Kashmir for  the  past 4-5 years had boosted  tourism business in the state manifold,  with arrivals  touching  2.40 crores including about 66,000 foreign nationals ( in 2024-25),  boosting  the state revenue and  GDP to Rs. 2.65 lakh crores (estimates)  in the year. The state’s per capita income  is reported to have grown  at 11% to Rs 1,65,000 annually.

And  by any  logical estimates  over  90%  of the tourists  to the valley were  the prosperous  Hindus, Sikhs and other faith  individuals  lured by  beauty of nature in the valley,  who  preferred  Kashmir  over many  cheaper and  pleasant  options across the globe.  The militants who executed this gory act  didn’t understand, they were cutting the very root of prosparity of their religious  bortheren and  even own family members in the valley.

The details of the sinster opertation,  as  narrated by  about 15  injured  tourists,  was executed   by  10 militants,  all Pakistan trained  and sent on  unholy mission,  they asked the religion of their victims and asked them to recite their Kalma,  to escape  death,  establishes they  had vowed to kill only Hindus and other non-muslim  individuals.  Out of the 27 tourists killed, only one muslim  was a helper killed  perhaps by mistake.

As India completes 78 years of Independence on August 15, after  the horrible  Partition   on religious  basis, and accompanied  by killings of lakhs of  migrating  Hindus from East and West Pakistan marked regions,  many  Indians  wonder whether should  India  stay  Secular,  despite hundreds of viloent  clashes between the two communities over the years instigated by  our muslim neighbours.  And that the Hindus  have never attacked any muslim  neighbour for his religious belief,  the co-existence between the two communities is getting worse and  a one-sided sacrifice.  

Whether Pakistan exports terrorism to India or  any other country,  it has taken 75 years for Indian  muslims  to  realise that they are born  on  this land and have their better future on this soil, they  must assimiate themselves with the thought of being Proud and Prosperous Indians.  They have examples of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the two failed  nations formed  on religious foundation   and failed to prosper,  neither economically or  politically.  Former has  adopted  radical militancy as their preferred  national policy, the later  has returned to  these ideals after  a gap of about 40 years.                                                                                           They also have  examples of truely Nationalist Muslims like APJ Abdul Kalam,   Arif Mohammed Khan, Abdul Kalam Azad,  MC Chagla and many  military commanders, who assimilated with  united  Indian secular identity.

Althogh shunning  the principles of Secularism won’t be easy for  145 Crore Indians in a huff,  the National leaders of all  political  faiths have a herculean task to  build up a faith of  unity and shun  their  religious/communal   preferences over the pious  National ideals, prides and  ambitious  fulfilments.                                                                                      It brings us  heartiest satisfaction that most of the Indian muslims from Pehalgaon to Hyderabad to Kolkata and elsewhere,  have  condemned  unequivocally, the terror act of April 22,  neither  sparing  10 misguided individuals nor their supporters in Pakistan.  All Indian citizens appreciated the Indian Govt’s  policy  announcements to punish Pakistan based  trainers of millitants and  their political/military leadership for this heinious crime against humanity, by killing innocent citizens in Pehalgaon.  (more  on  Govt. of India actions later!)                                      — Editor

*pics credit-News18.com, BBC.com and Social media