Operation Sindoor | 'Pahalgam attack was to undermine normalcy in J&K, provoke communal discord': Terrorists' motives REVEALED
Written By Navashree Nandini
Published: May 07, 2025, 06:14 IST | Updated: May 07, 2025, 06:14 IST
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India News | India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed the objective of the Pahalgam terror attack saying that it was done to undermine the normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed the objective of the Pahalgam terror attack in the press briefing held on Wednesday (May 7) and said that it was done to undermine the normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir. He added that it was done to impact economy and tourism in teh Kashmir valley, stating that a record 23 million tourists visited J&K in 2024.
"The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining the normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir. In particular, it was designed to impact the mainstay of the economy, tourism, with a record 23 million tourists visiting the valley last year. The calculation, presumably, was that harming growth and development in the Union Territory would help keep it backwards and create fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. The manner of the attack was also driven by the objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the Nation. It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these designs were foiled," Misri said in the briefing.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, carrying out a series of precision strikes targeting nine terror targets, including terror camps and launchpads, in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes early Wednesday, calling them a “focused, measured and non-escalatory” response to the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists brutally killed 26 civilians after identifying and segregating them.
Politicians across the spectrum have reacted to India's operation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed national pride, with the slogan, "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India's zero-tolerance stance against terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was watching and monitoring when the Indian Armed Forces launched "Operation Sindoor.
The Defence Ministry also said that no Pakistani military facilities were hit, "reflecting India’s calibrated and non-escalatory approach." "This operation underscores India’s resolve to hold perpetrators accountable while avoiding unnecessary provocation," the Defence Ministry statement added.
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A terror attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district killed 26 tourists. An offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - The Resistance Front (TRF) - claimed responsibility for the attack. However, they retracted their statement on April 26, claiming that its social media was compromised.
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After the attack, India launched a series of actions against Pakistan. The Indian government put into abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled its diplomats, called back Indian officials from Islamabad, and closed the Attari border, its airspace for Pakistani flights and ships, parcels and imports from Pakistan. New Delhi has also blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani cricketers and celebrities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, "I say to the whole world. India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth." World leaders have urged both countries to exercise restraint but have also sided with India in its fight against terror.