Pulwama terror attack: 'We salute you, brave sons of Mother India'

Social media networks have become battlegrounds over the past two days, filled with toxic commentary in connection with the Pulwama terror attack.

The horrifying pictures coming from the scene of a catastrophic terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama are disturbing. And they are going to remain etched in the nation’s collective memory for a long time to come. A sense of utter surprise and shock over the Pulwama terror attack is understandable, and words alone cannot express them. Not only the Central Reserve Police Force but the whole nation has been hit badly.

How to make sense of one of the biggest terrorist attacks on security forces in India? How did such a devastating attack take place when the Central government has been claiming that terrorism has been contained in the Valley? Before we attempt to answer this larger question, there are a few more.

Any person with security-related experience in Jammu and Kashmir would tell that usually about 1,000 security personnel move in a convoy. Then who allowed movement of more than 2,500 personnel? Was it hastily planned without taking all necessary precautions? If not, this is a blunder. And if proper precautions were made, the terror attack just exposed the preparedness.

Is the Pulwama attack another Uri? We have been told that the vehicle which was used for the suicide attack was driven by a local youth from Kakapora who had joined militancy last year. Against whom the Central government will mount ‘surgical strike’ now?

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has long maintained a presence in the Valley where Pakistan’s ISI has helped many terrorists group to establish a vast infrastructure for their terrorist, radicalisation and other criminal activities, including money laundering and illicit smuggling. JeM’s reliance on sympathisers within the local communities has significantly minimised the group’s potential exposure to detection. The planning and execution of the attack clearly show the involvement of local elements. Quantity of explosives used in the attack also raises question marks over the border defences and intelligence gathering mechanism.

Most of the Western countries are using advanced cyber tools while also integrating artificial intelligence into the targeting process that could help their security forces to be effective in their hunt of terrorist leaders. It is anybody’s guess as to where do we stand in harnessing cyber domain.

The ultimate purpose of any counter insurgency or counter terrorism campaign is never to simply win military victories, but to shape a peace that serves the lasting strategic objectives of the nation. We have not been able to focus on this goal in Kashmir. The continuing political uncertainty in Kashmir only diminishes confidence in the government’s ability to handle the crisis after the Pulwama attack.

The terrorist organisations are known to flourish in regions of the world which are characterised by violent conflicts, lack of good governance and inability to establish rule of law. Unfortunately, all these factors are present in today’s Kashmir. There is no doubt that both ISI and JeM are a destabilising influence within Kashmir valley and the region, but the best way to marginalise them may be to help Kashmiri people succeed as a normal society and to engage them politically.