After Pahalgam: A Nation’s resolve through politics, diplomacy and economics

Pupuji Koul
The government of India is serious about striking at the very roots of terrorism and all political parties and the whole nation is in unison to give the final blow to terrorists and also to identify and catch those savages who were involved in the heinous and barbaric crime of killing 26 innocent and unarmed tourists. The Pahalgam massacre is not only the attack on innocent Hindu tourists but an unprecedented attack on the tourism, economy, peace, tranquility and above all on Insaniyat and Kashmiriyat. Modi government had begun a political and diplomatic strike on Pakistan before resorting to surgical and air strike on the enemy country. In the wake of the brutal terrorist attack, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that unfortunately claimed 26 lives,India has launched a series of strong diplomatic and political as well as strategic countermeasures against Pakistan ,which it holds responsible for backing cross –border terrorism. These measures of political and diplomatic nature will in fact strike at the very roots of terrorism and drain Pakistan economically and will strike at the agriculture base of that country. Modi has rightly stated in categorical terms that Pahalgam terrorist carnage is not only the attack on innocent civilians but is an attack on the very soul of India and therefore the terrorism and its masterminds in Pakistan will be punished. The diplomatic and political strike at Pakistan is unprecedented in history as such strike had never been taken in the past over 35 years of terrorism. Thus it is hoped that the present political and diplomatic strike will have its desired effect and will checkmate terrorism sponsored from Pakistan. The attack, which targeted tourists in the Baisaran Valley ,was later claimed by The Resistance Front –an offshoot of the banned Pakistan based and backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Describing the massacre as a direct assault on India’s peace and progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to hunt down and punish every terrorist and their backers. ‘India will identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of Earth.India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism ,’’ the PM said in a strong message from Bihar. Following a high –level review by the Cabinet committee on Security-CCS ,chaired by the prime minister ,India announced a set of stringent measures in response to the cross –border links of the attack. The following unprecedented diplomatic and political countermeasures have been taken to strike at the roots of Pak sponsored terrorism:
1 Suspension of Indus Water Treaty – India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with immediate effect. This is for the first time that GOI has suspended IWT and it will have adverse effect on the agriculture, fragile economy and on the people.IWT was put in abeyance till Pakistan will stop exporting and sponsoring terrorism on India soil and its Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi suspended water–sharing treaty, announced the closure of the mainland border crossing with Pakistan. This measure will also adversely impact the power generation in Pakistan. It will affect irrigation prospects of farms and other produce. Pakistan reacted to suspension of IWT as an act of war cry. In fact this measure will strike at the very roots of terrorism.

2. Asks Pakistani Nationals to leave India within 48 hours.
3. India cancels SAARC visas to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect. India orders Pakistani citizens to leave Earlier on Thursday, India hit Pakistan with a raft of mostly symbolic diplomatic measures ,but analysts warn a military response may yet come, with some speculating that a response may come within days while others say it will take weeks.-3—Downsizing diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night, just over 24 hours after gunmen killed 26 men in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. New Delhi said it had suspended visa services, with immediate effect ‘’ and ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country, with the exception of remaining diplomats.
4. India decreases the strength of its embassy in Pakistan from 55 to 30.
   India’s retaliatory measures also included an attempt to isolate Pakistan on the global stage by holding a meeting with top diplomats and envoys following the Pahalgam attack. In fact the brutal massacre of 26 tourists by terrorists in Pahalgam was met with an equally furious response by India as it announced a series of punitive diplomatic actions while hinting at further retaliation. The retaliation, the strongest since the measures taken after the 2019 Pulwama attack, encompassed all spheres ,trade, diplomatic ties, soft power, visas as well as social media.The multipronged measures did not end there as India also attempted to isolate Pakistan on global stage by holding a meeting with top diplomats and envoys of the US,the UK, European Union, Italy, Qatar, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, France etc. That India is not done with its retaliatory moves was spelt loud and clear by PM Modi on Thursday.PM said ,’’India will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”To put the diplomatic measures in specific terms it can be as follows:
5. In an unprecedented move, India suspended all visa services, including medical visas ,to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect. All Pakistani nationals have been asked to leave India while Delhi advised its nationals to avoid travelling to Pakistan.
6. India has also cancelled all visas granted to certain categories of Pakistani nationals under SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme-SVES. Those in the country have been asked to leave by Friday evening.
7. The official X account of the Pakistani government has also been suspended in India. A message says the account has been withheld due to a legal request.
8. Another strong move was the closure of the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab, the only land crossing between the two countries. The step, in effect, puts a stop to cross border trade, affecting thousands of small traders and manufactures.
9. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which survived three wars and terror attacks, including the 26/11 and Pulwama was another move that will further cripple Pakistan and impact its agricultural sector.
10. India has also expelled the Pakistani air, navy and army advisers ,declaring them persona non grata and cut down the diplomatic strength from the already downgraded 55 to 30.
11. The Border Security Force – BSF also ‘scaled down the retreat ceremony held at Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
12. Soft power has also been causality. While bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have long been paused, the government sources said ‘’Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s comeback film AbirGulal would not be allowed to be released. The film, which is slated for release on May 9,has faced boycott calls. India’s economic strike will strike at the very roots of Pak economy. Trade, business, exports and imports will be affected. It will further curtail trade which has more than halved since 2018, trade experts and analysts say. It will have a negative impact particularly on Pakistan’s pharmacy sector, if supplies from India are affected. Trade via third countries with Pakistan will be severely affected. In short all the above measures are diplomatic and political and they should be supplemented by military strikes on the terrorist camps operating on the soil of POK and Pakistan.