Was Pak Army chief’s dog whistle on Kashmir a trigger for Pahalgam massacre?

Pakistan’s Army chief General Asim Munir’s recent dog-whistle — wherein he termed Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” — is being seen as among the possible triggers for Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) terror attack in Pahalgam coinciding with the visit of US vice-president JD Vance, sources said.While security agencies have yet to form a definitive assessment, multiple intelligence officers said there were indicators that Munir’s provocative address, in which he also focused on cultural and social differences between Muslims and Hindus and endorsed the “two-nation theory”, may have emboldened The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of LeT, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, to plan a “spectacular strike”.LeT’s top commander Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, is suspected to be one of the plotters, according to an intelligence assessment. The role of two Rawalkot-based Lashkar commanders, one of whom is Abu Musa, is also under scrutiny, sources said.On April 18, Musa organised an event in Rawalkot where he said: “Jihad will continue, guns will rage and beheading will continue in Kashmir. India wants to change the demography of Kashmir by giving domicile certificates to non-locals.” Many of the victims in Pahalgam were asked to recite the ‘kalma’ (a concise phrase or oath, often recited by Muslims to express their faith and commitment to the religion.), and those who could not were shot dead.TOI had reported last week that the Indian intelligence establishment viewed the anti-Hindu rhetoric in Pakistan as a calculated move — coinciding with protests against changes to the Waqf Act — to motivate Pakistan-based terrorists to regroup.The preliminary assessment of the intelligence agencies is that around six terrorists, supported by local auxiliaries, carried out the attack. “It seems the attackers arrived a few days prior to the attack. In early April (1-7), there were inputs that terrorists had conducted a recon. So, there wasn’t an intelligence failure,” a source said. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/_AeuH8sfTLA?si=R2aiUz9NKAP04NFyDeadliest strike in Valley since abrogation of Article 370The killing of 28 tourists in a picturesque meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam marked the deadliest terror attack in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.The attack coincided with US vice-president Vance’s four-day visit to India and PM Narendra Modi’s arrival in Saudi Arabia for strengthening bilateral engagement with the influential Islamic country.This was, in fact, the deadliest attack on tourists since militancy began in Kashmir in the 1990s. It brought back memories of the March 2000 massacre in Chittisinghpora in Anantnag, where 36 members of the Sikh community were killed days before US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India. medium120537669What General Munir said about Kashmir and the difference between Hindus and Muslims medium120537692Survivors said the terrorists, believed to be foreigners numbering around six and dressed in Army fatigues, identified their victims by faith, asking them to tell their names and recite Islamic verses before spraying bullets on them from close range.The gunmen struck around 1.30pm in Baisaran meadow — about 7km from Pahalgam and reachable only either by foot and or by horses — as scores of tourists were enjoying a regular afternoon, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and pine forests. The meadow draws hundreds of visitors daily.Victims included honeymooner Navy officer Vinay Narwal. Posted in Kochi, he was married on April 16. Two foreign nationals — one from Nepal and the other from UAE — were also killed. medium nocaption120541569Mehbooba, Mirwaiz call bandh in protestPDP head Mehbooba Mufti and Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq separately called a “Kashmir bandh” on Wednesday to protest the attack. This is the first time either has given a call for a bandh after a terror attack.US President Donald Trump called PM Modi to convey condolences for the victims of the Islamist terror attack. He condemned the attack and said that the US stands with India in its fight against terror and offered all possible support.Modi thanked Trump for his support and said that India is determined to bring the perpetrators and backers of this cowardly and heinous terrorist attack to justice, say government sources.Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his condolences and reiterated Russia’s commitment to increasing cooperation with India in “fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah flew to Srinagar from Delhi and drove straight to Raj Bhavan from the airport. He’s likely to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/hzJrRQVHmIo?si=91llMkG9CpjV_QEF‘Overbooked’ J&K empties outAfter exulting over an overbooked summer, travel operators are gearing up for a wave of cancellations following the attack in Pahalgam, expected to hit one of biggest economic lifelines of the region.Multiple industry insiders said they could not recall a major terrorist strike so openly targeting tourists. “We are getting a lot of calls for cancellation,” said Nasir Shah of Indian Association of Tour Operators.Tourists from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, stranded after the attack, were keen to leave the Union Territory soon. “The roads are deserted, and the Army is everywhere. We’re safe, but others don’t want to stay another day. I’m not sure how everyone will manage return flights,” said Pune-based lawyer Vijaysinh Thombare, currently in Srinagar with his wife NCP functionary Rupali Patil-Thombare.PM cuts short Saudi visit after MbS meetModi cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to India late in the night after finishing his official engagements with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), following the Pahalgam terror attack. Modi was originally scheduled to return on Wednesday night but was back in India early morning. He also skipped the official dinner hosted by the de facto ruler of the country.Modi’s meeting with MbS began with a mention of the Pahalgam attack. Both strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with victims. The Jeddah meet also saw them discussing ways to enhance energy, trade, investment and defence cooperation. India has been looking to strengthen cooperation with Riyadh in combating terrorism and terror financing. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/JKaOJq_wxA8?si=xJv7zaLPxiY5I0XXTerror infra in Pak & PoK ‘fully intact’The terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir “remains fully intact”, with the main training camps in the hinterland and “launch pads” along the Line of Control (LoC) still very much in place, senior Army officers said.“Pak-trained terrorists are using other routes to sneak into J&K since the strong counter-infiltration grid along the 778-km LoC has made it tough for militants there. Ten infiltration bids were foiled along LoC last year, in which 25 terrorists were killed,” a senior officer told TOI.Though there is no major Army deployment in Pahalgam area, a unit of its specialised counter-insurgency force Rashtriya Rifles in the region dispatched a few columns as soon as news of the massacre came in the afternoon.With 144 terrorists being killed in J&K in the past two years, terror outfits were looking for a big strike to mark their presence.