Opinion | Blood In Pahalgam: Decoding Pakistan’s Proxy War And Charting India’s Strategic Response
The unity of Indians has denied Pakistan the internal fracture they so desperately sought to exploit. Now it’s time for India to exploit the internal fissures of Pakistan
Backdrop
The tranquil valley of Pahalgam, known for its scenic beauty and spiritual significance, was jolted recently by a heinous act of terrorism that claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians, most of them Hindus. Claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)—groups with deep-rooted ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its Army—this attack is more than just another tragic footnote in Kashmir’s troubled history. It is a calculated move in Pakistan’s long-standing proxy war against India, aimed at fomenting unrest, stalling peace, and projecting a false narrative of indigenous resistance.
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THE PAKISTANI IMPRINT: FOOTPRINTS IN BLOOD
Despite Islamabad’s predictable denials, the Pakistani hand in this attack is hard to ignore. The TRF, a rebranded militant front, was created to give plausible deniability to the involvement of Pakistan-based groups in Kashmir to avoid the ire of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). But make no mistake—this organisation continues to operate with logistical, financial, and strategic support from Pakistan ISI and its radicalised Army.
Just days before the attack, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir delivered a provocative speech, emphasising the so-called Hindu-Muslim divide and reiterated Pakistan’s “moral obligation" to Kashmir. Such rhetoric, when seen in tandem with the Pahalgam dastardly massacre, suggests not just ideological motivation but a broader tactical playbook aimed at destabilising India’s internal harmony and international standing. It is also an attack on the livelihood, peace and prosperity of the people of Kashmir.
Additionally, Pakistan’s internal dynamics add further motive. The restive provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are seeing rising dissent, while discontent is also brewing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where residents increasingly compare their stunted progress with India’s developmental strides in Jammu and Kashmir. A high-profile terror strike serves Pakistan’s dual purpose of distracting domestic attention and undermining India’s efforts at normalcy and development in the region.
TIMING IS NOT A COINCIDENCE
The timing of the attack raises eyebrows. It coincided with the visit of the US Vice President, JD Vance, to India—part of a broader diplomatic outreach by New Delhi. Historically, Pakistani-sponsored terror attacks have occurred around significant geopolitical events. From the 2001 Parliament attack timed with US engagement post-9/11 to the 2008 Mumbai attacks amid Indo-US nuclear cooperation talks, this pattern persists.
In this instance, Prime Minister Modi was also in Saudi Arabia, which leads the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—a gathering where Pakistan routinely attempts to internationalise its version of the Kashmir narrative. By engineering chaos in Kashmir during this diplomatic convergence, Pakistan sought to derail India’s growing influence in the Muslim world, particularly its improving ties with Saudi Arabia.
BEYOND THE BULLET: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
This terror attack is not merely a tactical strike—it is psychological warfare. The target was symbolic: Hindu civilians, tourism stakeholders, and peace-loving Kashmiris whose livelihoods depend on stability. By orchestrating a communal attack, Pakistan aimed to instigate Hindu-Muslim tensions, a tactic it has tried and failed repeatedly. Fortunately, both communities have united in grief and condemnation, rejecting the divisive intent.
There is also an economic undertone. Kashmir’s tourism industry has rebounded strongly in recent years, with record-breaking footfalls in 2024. Terror attacks, especially in key tourist destinations like Pahalgam, are designed to stall this economic progress, disrupt normalisation, and revive the era of fear.
INDIA’S RESPONSE: MULTIDOMAIN DECISIVE ACTIONS
India’s initial steps have been measured—holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, suspending SAARC visa access to Pakistani nationals, and scaling down diplomatic representation. These are important diplomatic signals, but just the beginning of the response mechanism.
The centre of gravity of counterterror operations has to be the Pakistan military, which is the fountainhead of terrorism and proxy war against India. All efforts have to be directed to weaken the Pakistani Army, creating a divide between its people and the Army, tarnishing its image by appropriate exposure of its deeds and terror network, emboldening the organisations and provinces which have suffered the brutality of its establishment within Pakistan, to ultimately lead to the balkanisation of Pakistan. It’s a long process, but with a clear aim, it’s achievable, given the existing fault lines in Pakistan’s Army.
This attack, however, demands an immediate, visible multi-domain response too, that is strategic, punitive, and sustained. India must exploit both overt and covert options and act across all domains of warfare.
Diplomatic: India must continue to internationalise Pakistan’s role as a state sponsor of terror. Engagements with the UN, OIC, Western allies and FATF should highlight the ISI’s continued patronage of jihadist proxies. Concrete evidence should be shared with global actors and organisations ignoring Pakistan.
Military: Military actions against terrorists are in progress and will soon conclude as the first step. There are multiple retaliatory options available for consideration, which the political and military hierarchy can choose, based on strategic cost-benefit analysis and thinking through the escalation dynamics. It can range from limited precision strikes, standoff attacks, activating LoC with aggressive firing to drain Pakistani reserves, to a limited conventional option to take over some dominating areas essential to prevent infiltration of terrorists.
Global sentiment is against terrorism, and there is precedent for major cross-border conventional actions to punish perpetrators of such attacks. An uncomfortable situation for the Pakistan Army on its western borders works to India’s advantage, as any conventional assault could overstretch the Pakistani Army, giving greater opportunity to the BLA or TTP to settle scores with them.
India doesn’t want war, but must be prepared for one, should the situation demand so.
Covert Operations: Targeted covert actions against terror leaders and their overground workers must be intensified with technological innovations using all elements of state power. Covert actions against Pakistani agencies and military assets should well be within considerations.
Cyber and Information Warfare: Countering Pakistan’s propaganda is key. India must leverage social media, diaspora networks, and global think tanks to expose Pakistan’s export of terror. Convincing the Pakistani public that their Army is the root cause of their dismal progress, economic decline, and prosperity is an essential theme for proactive information warfare.
Internal Security: Punitive demonstrative actions against collaborators, sleeper cells and logistical handlers—who are the nervous system of cross-border terrorism are inescapable to cripple the ecosystem of terrorism. All agencies need to synergise actions, including tracking the terror financing. Jammu and Kashmir’s security and intelligence grid needs recalibration. Intelligence-driven operations and technological upgrades like AI-based surveillance must be prioritised. At the same time, outreach programmes must continue to ensure confidence of Kashmiris in India’s democratic process and that of tourists in a stronger security grid.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: WHY UNITY IS INDIA’S BEST WEAPON
India’s strength lies not just in its military might or diplomatic capital, but in its social fabric. Pakistan’s ultimate aim—to trigger communal unrest and portray India as a divided nation—has failed time and again. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Hindus and Muslims have come together in mourning, rejecting violence and reaffirming their commitment to peace. Kashmiri civilians have denounced the attack, recognising it as a threat to their lives and livelihoods.
The unity of Indians, more than anything else, defeats Pakistan’s strategy. It has denied them the internal fracture they so desperately sought to exploit. Now it’s time for India to exploit the internal fissures of Pakistan.
CONCLUSION: THE ROAD AHEAD
The Pahalgam terror attack is not just another incident—it is a brutal reminder of Pakistan’s unrelenting proxy war. It is a call for India to act—not out of anger, but with resolve and clarity. Deterrence is not just about retaliation; it’s about reshaping the strategic calculus of the adversary.
India must respond—not just to punish, but to prevent. Not merely to avenge, but to assert. And above all, to ensure that every life lost in Pahalgam is honoured not with words alone, but with a national resolve to end the cycle of terror that has held the region hostage for decades.
The author is a globally acknowledged Strategic and Security Analyst. He can be reached at Facebook and LinkedIn as Shashi Asthana, @asthana_shashi on X, and personnel site https://asthanawrites.org/. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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