The 22 April attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists including a national of Nepal, lost their lives caused a pall of gloom not only in India but also in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Consistent with the past pattern, without holding any investigation and sharing even a shred of evidence, India instantly blamed Pakistan for being behind the attack. Pakistan rejected these Indian allegations and proposed a ‘neutral and transparent’ investigation, to which India did not respond positively. The Modi government has used this attack to further advance its domestic political objectives and its strategic goals vis-a-vis Pakistan. New Delhi is also using the incident as a pretext to further crush the Kashmiri resistance movement and has unleashed a reign of terror. The people of IIOJK have been subjected to ‘collective punishment’, which international law recognizes as a crime against humanity.
