Paradise Lost: Beyond the Headlines

View of the valley where the attack occurred. Source: Wikipedia

On April 22, 2025, Kashmir made headlines once again. A group of 25 tourists — all men were murdered in cold blood near Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in South Kashmir. News broadcasts and media outlets were quickly filled with the clamor decrying this heinous crime, allegedly carried out by either the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization or its offshoot called the The Resistance Front, though no group has officially claimed responsibility yet.

It didn't take long to sense the polarising nature of these reports. They seemed designed to stoke communal tensions between two communities in this country that, after independence, have shared a strained and uneasy relationship. Many of the news reports directly highlighted the alleged involvement of the Pakistani Army in the incident. However, indirectly, they seemed almost unanimous in holding Muslims — and specifically Kashmiri Muslims — responsible for the tragedy.

Reports confirmed that the attackers had asked the victims to recite the Kalma — the declaration of faith in Islam. Only those who could recite it survived. This fact became the focal point around which most of the media coverage was based. But is this the complete story?

Even as I write this, reports are coming in of local Kashmiris lending assistance and support to the injured at the site. According to the Kashmir Observer, dozens of local residents rushed to help transport the wounded to hospitals and provided immediate aid before ambulances arrived. There are also reports of the killing of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a local Kashmiri youth and the only son of aging parents, who was caught in the crossfire while trying to help tourists escape. The people of Kashmir, through various civil society organizations and religious leaders, have condemned this inhuman act. Yet, the national media has continued to project the Pahalgam incident in ways that push forward what appears to be a predetermined narrative.

The hostility in many reports seems clearly designed to provoke communal and nationalist sentiments. Today, media outlets — owned and influenced by corporate interests that also maintain close relationships with governments — have struggled to uphold the spirit of a free press. Instead, much of the media coverage has risked instigating and sensationalizing violence in broad daylight.

Such reporting reinforces a Hindu victimhood narrative and redemption arc that the present establishment has carefully built to create an impressive vote bank over the past couple of decades. The call for war against Pakistan now serves as the ultimate rallying cry for a regime that has been accused of fueling Hindu nationalism for political gain.

Many news reports appear irresponsible and unprofessional. The divisive rhetoric they promote overlooks the fact that, according to the Pew Research Center's 2020 report on Global Religious Restrictions, India ranks among the countries with the highest social hostilities involving religion. As for the ardent calls for war against Pakistan — our so-called "arch-enemy" — we have already, unfortunately, fought three major wars in the past (1947, 1965, and 1999), none of which brought lasting peace or stability to the region.

I was struck by the media's lack of originality and insight in contextualizing the incident. The herd mentality of the media in blindly conforming to the American led global discourse on terrorism was quite stark. No news channels thought to critically review the incident from the broader perspective of India as a region grappling with insurgency since independence — be it in Kashmir or other regions like the Northeast, where similar patterns of violence and military response have repeatedly played out over decades. 

Lessons for a United India

Amid all this overwhelming coverage and emotional rhetoric, it is a real challenge to remain reasonable and maintain critical discernment.

As a historian, my work is often driven by the desire to ensure that history does not repeat itself. This is especially true when connecting Pahalgam today with the Chattisinghpora massacre of March 2000 in Kashmir, where 35 Sikhs were killed by unidentified gunmen. The civic unrest and violence that followed in the aftermath of Chattisinghpora — and the subsequent allegations of staged encounters by security forces — should serve as a strong warning against any hasty political decisions or jingoism.

An independent and transparent investigation must be immediately initiated to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. This will ensure that innocent people are protected from becoming unfair scapegoats for political gain. We've seen too many examples throughout our history where hasty conclusions led to further divisions and injustice.

Kashmir, much like the Northeast, remains one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world. A significant chunk of our national defense expenditure is allocated for the maintenance of law, order, and security in the Kashmir region alone. It begs the question: why do incidents like Pahalgam even occur despite our massive military investment? Perhaps we need to consider whether a purely security-focused approach is sufficient, or if deeper political dialogue and reconciliation efforts are needed.

What would responsible reporting on this tragedy look like? It would provide factual details without inflaming tensions. It would acknowledge the complexity of disturbed regions like Kashmir without defaulting to simplistic narratives. It would highlight not just the violence but also the humanity shown by local Kashmiris who helped victims. It would present diverse perspectives from security experts, peace activists, and local residents alike.

A reckless and thoughtless government response — based on media sensationalism and aimed at furthering partisan interests — risks destabilizing the democratic foundations of this country. It threatens to concentrate near-absolute power in the hands of the central government and risks rendering the federal structure of the Indian state defunct.

Instead, let us honor the victims of this terrible attack by recommitting to the principles of justice, truth, and unity in diversity that our constitution enshrines. Their memory deserves better than being used as fodder for divisive politics or sensationalist headlines. They deserve a measured, thoughtful response that brings real security and lasting peace to a paradise that has seen too much bloodshed.

This article originally appeared in the Nagaland Post on April 30, 2025.