The recent terror attack in Pahalgam, in which innocent tourists were gunned down, is not just another grim episode of violence in Kashmir ~ it is a direct consequence of the reckless rhetoric emanating from Pakistan’s military establishment. General Asim Munir, the present Pakistan Army Chief, has revived the poisonous language of the two-nation theory, portraying a civilisational divide between Hindus and Muslims, and implying a moral obligation for Pakistan to intervene in Kashmir. This is not merely an ideological throwback ~ it is a dangerous provocation, calculated to keep the region on the boil.

Recent efforts by Pakistan’s military establishment to cast Kashmiri discontent as a sign of allegiance to Pakistan are not only misleading but fundamentally disrespectful to the historical and lived experiences of Kashmiri Muslims. It is vital to recognise that Kashmiris did not accept Pakistan’s ideology at the time of partition, nor have they shown any collective yearning for it in the decades since. Instead, what they have consistently expressed is a yearning for justice, dignity, and meaningful democratic participation ~ values that are neither the monopoly of any state nor any religion. General Munir’s recent statements are not casual remarks. They come from the highest echelons of Pakistan’s military-intelligence apparatus, which continues to shape the country’s Kashmir policy.

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In doing so, he grossly misrepresents the complex aspirations of Kashmiri Muslims, the majority of whom have time and again demonstrated that they seek dignity, justice, and democratic rights ~ not annexation to a sectarian, theocratic state across the border. By framing Kashmiri grievance solely as an Islamic cause, General Munir ignores the political, economic, and human dimensions of the conflict, and insults the Kashmiri people’s own sense of identity. The attack at Pahalgam, which followed the General’s public remarks, sends a clear and chilling message. It is designed to disrupt the tenuous peace and hospitality that has been carefully nurtured in the Valley, especially towards non-local tourists. The people of Kashmir, who have always extended extraordinary warmth and generosity to visitors regardless of religion, are once again being dragged into a script written in Rawalpindi ~ a script of fear, suspicion, and endless bloodshed. India must take these provocations seriously, as it already has through diplomatic means.

But it is just as important not to allow General Munir’s narrative to gain traction within our own discourse. That requires us to do better. Attacks on Kashmiri students in Punjab and elsewhere are completely unwarranted and must be condemned strongly. To blame them for Pahalgam is to do exactly what General Munir wants ~ alienate the very people whose trust and loyalty India has long earned, often against all odds. The answer to Munir’s provocations lies not in mimicry of his narrow worldview, but in asserting a wider, more inclusive Indian one ~ where patriotism is not enforced through fear, but earned through justice. General Munir wants to force a false binary on Kashmir: Pakistan or India. The people deserve better than to be spoken for by men like him.