Terror Has an Address Now

Pahalgam is a brutal reminder that terrorism thrives not just on violence but on the world’s indifference.

The massacre of 27 innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir is a grim reminder that violent extremism respects no boundary, no creed and no norm of humanity. This was not merely an attack on civilians but an assault on the idea of civilised order. When terror strikes tourists on a peaceful journey, it exposes the moral bankruptcy of the extremists and the complacency of those who merely condemn without consequence.

Time and again, the global response to terrorism follows a weary ritual: swift condemnation, sombre diplomacy and then silence. What is needed now is not rhetoric but resolve. There can be no negotiation with those who traffic in violence as ideology. The outpouring of unity across India after the Pahalgam tragedy cutting across political, religious and social lines sent a clear signal that Bharat speaks with one voice against terrorism. The world would do well to echo it.

The idea that terrorism can be contained or compartmentalised is a dangerous illusion. Violence ignored is violence emboldened. The doctrine of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the world as one family - demands not only philosophical commitment but strategic coherence. Terrorism is not selective; it feeds on silence, on division and on international double standards.

India, with its syncretic heritage and pluralistic ethos, has long embraced tolerance. Yet it has also been among the foremost victims of cross-border terror. That Pakistan continues to serve as a sanctuary for violent extremists is no secret. The irony is painful: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose own mother, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated by militants, now lends rhetorical comfort to the very forces responsible for atrocities such as Pahalgam.

Indians remember standing in solidarity with Pakistan after the carnage in Peshawar and the murder of Sufi singers. But reciprocity remains elusive. Sectarian violence continues to claim lives in Pakistan. Shias, Ahmadis and other minorities live under constant threat. What Pakistan exports to the world, above all, is instability.

The international community must stop treating Pakistan’s duplicity as a diplomatic inconvenience. It must recognise that terror has metastasised into a global cancer, one that cannot be excised with half-measures or hollow statements. Human-rights organisations, too, must resist the temptation to remain silent when terror is unleashed against Indians. Silence, in such moments, is complicity.

If the world truly believes in peace, it must match India’s unity with its own. Pahalgam should not become just another headline. It should be the turning point in the fight against the global machinery of violent extremism.

The massacre is a chilling reminder that violent extremism continues to flourish with impunity. For decades, India has borne the brunt of cross-border terrorism - from the attack on its Parliament in 2001 to the carnage in Mumbai in 2008. Yet global responses have too often been confined to platitudes and perfunctory condemnations. It is high time that the international community acknowledge that terrorism in Kashmir is not a local grievance but a global threat.

Despite their grief, Indians have shown uncommon unity in the face of this violence. The aim of the terrorists, which is to sow communal discord and stifle Kashmir’s economic revival, is being countered with resolve. Tourism, a key pillar of Kashmir’s prosperity, must not be allowed to falter. With a direct train connecting the Valley to Kanyakumari in the south, India’s response should be to flood Kashmir with tourists, not fear.

The question, however, remains: what is the world doing to dismantle the infrastructure that enables such attacks? Pakistan, which gave sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and has long harboured extremist networks, remains a hub for jihadist ideology. It is time the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reconsidered its indulgence. International funding routed through institutions such as the IMF should be scrutinised with far greater rigour. Too often, it props up a military-political elite while ordinary Pakistanis remain trapped between poverty and propaganda.

India, a land steeped in Sufi traditions and pluralism, has long advocated for a united global front against terrorism. Yet the world continues to view this scourge through the lens of narrow self-interest. The battle for Kashmir’s soul is not India’s alone but a litmus test of whether the international community truly believes in a peaceful, rules-based order. The blood spilled in Pahalgam must not be in vain.

(The author is an academician, columnist, historian and a strong voice on Gender and Human Rights.)