Editorials/Opinions Analysis For UPSC 24 April 2025

Content:

1. Unity and resolve
2. Talking mode
3. Responding to the terror attack in Pahalgam

Unity and resolve

Context: Pahalgam Terror Attack

• 26 civilians, mainly tourists, were killed in a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
• Islamist terrorists identified and killed victims based on religious identity.
• The attack has shocked the nation’s conscience and drawn international attention to the persistent threat of cross-border terrorism.

Relevance : GS 3(Internal Security)

Practice Question :The recent Pahalgam terror attack reflects the persistent threat of cross-border terrorism and attempts to disrupt India’s internal social fabric. In this context, discuss the need for a multidimensional response combining security, diplomacy, and social integration. (250 words)

Strategic Implications for Kashmir

• Since 2019, the Indian government has:
  • Promoted infrastructure development
  • Enhanced connectivity and governance
  • Aimed for economic integration of Kashmir with mainland India
• However, such attacks undermine tourism—a key pillar of the region’s economic revival.

Geopolitical Dimension

• The attack is a continuation of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, rooted in:
  • Two-nation theory
  • Instrumentalisation of religious identity to produce unrest

• India must:
  • Isolate Pakistan diplomatically
  • Highlight its state-sponsored terror machinery at international fora

Internal Priorities: Safeguarding Social Harmony

• Terrorism thrives on creating internal discord—communal disharmony serves enemy objectives.
• India must:
  • Resist polarisation
  • Strengthen interfaith unity
  • Uphold constitutional values of secularism and fraternity

Communication Strategy: Four-Level Outreach

1. To Kashmiris – Assure them of justice, security, and continued development.
2. To Indian citizens – Reinforce national unity .
3. To Pakistan – Convey zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism.
4. To global community – Reaffirm India’s status and highlight Pakistan’s role.

Realism and National Interest

• India’s approach must be:
  • Firm yet pragmatic
  • Action–oriented.
  • Aligned with long-term strategic interests.
• Need for swift justice delivery, intelligence-led counterterrorism, and community engagement.

Conclusion: The Way Forward

• National response should blend firmness, unity, and strategic clarity.
• Acts of interfaith solidarity and citizen heroism offer a counter-narrative to terrorism.
• India’s internal cohesion is its strongest defense; the tragedy must not be allowed to divide but to unite in collective resolve.

Talking mode

Backdrop of the Visit

• U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance’s visit to India marks the first visit by an American VP in over a decade (since Joe Biden in 2013).
• Notably, the visit coincided with the terror attack in Pahalgam, yet Vance chose to continue his engagements, signaling solidarity and resilience in Indo-U.S. relations.

Relevance : GS 2(International Relations)

Practice Question :The recent visit of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to India reflected both symbolic resilience and emerging frictions. Critically analyse the evolving contours of Indo-U.S. relations with reference to trade, defence, energy cooperation, and strategic autonomy. (250 words)

Substance of the Bilateral Talks

• While the visit held significant symbolic value, substantive outcomes remained limited.
• The key formal outcome was the finalization of the Terms of Reference for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
• Discussions also touched upon:
  • The upcoming Quad Summit
  • The broader Indo-Pacific strategy
  • Prospects of a potential visit by President Trump later in the year

Trade: Underlying Tensions and Aspirations

• In his Jaipur address, VP Vance emphasized a “rebalancing” of global trade rather than initiating trade confrontation.
• However, the U.S. expectations raise concerns:
  • Removal of non-tariff barriers, especially in agriculture and dairy, where India has deeply rooted socio-economic and cultural sensitivities.
  • These sectors involve livelihoods, food security, and religious values, making any significant liberalization politically delicate.

Defence and Strategic Technology Transfer

• Vance reaffirmed the U.S. view of India as a reliable defence partner.
• Offered co-production of F-35 fighter jets, which could be a strategic leap for India.
• However, India must carefully assess:
  • Dependency on American supply chains
  • Autonomy in foreign policy amid increasing geopolitical alignments

Energy Diplomacy: Opportunities and Dilemmas

• The U.S. pitched a return to fossil fuel diplomacy, with emphasis on oil and LNG exports to India.
• While potentially beneficial for energy security, this approach raises concerns regarding:
  • India’s net-zero targets
  • Its commitments under the Paris Agreement
  • The need for green transition pathways

Nuclear Liability: A Recurring Sticking Point

• The U.S. reiterated its long-standing demand to amend India’s nuclear liability law.
• This request is rooted in the concerns of American firms over legal exposure in the event of a nuclear accident.
• However, amending the law would face:
  • Domestic political resistance
  • Public memory of the Bhopal disaster
  • Concerns over corporate accountability and sovereign legal autonomy

India’s Current Stance: Too Passive?

• Observers note that India adopted a “listening posture”, refraining from asserting its strategic or economic interests.
• On key global issues — from Ukraine to Middle East conflicts to supply chains — India has remained measured and non-committal.
• This strategic passivity may be counterproductive in negotiations where U.S. demands are growing more pointed.

What India Must Do

India should recalibrate its engagement with greater clarity and assertion by:

Protecting core interests:

• Firm stance on agricultural and dairy sovereignty
  • Maintaining public-interest safeguards in nuclear energy
  • Aligning energy cooperation with climate goals

Seeking reciprocal gains:

• Tech transfer and defence autonomy in strategic platforms
  • Fair visa policies and Indian student protections, especially after recent mass revocations
  • Market access for Indian services and products

Strategic Messaging Going Forward

• Balance firmness with friendship: India’s value to the U.S. spans Indo-Pacific stability, QUAD cohesion, and counter-China strategy.
• Assert that strategic partnerships must be mutually beneficial — not transactional or asymmetrical.
• Use leverage judiciously, framing India’s asks as contributing to shared democratic and regional goals.

Responding to the terror attack in Pahalgam

Nature and Timing of the Attack

• Not random; but strategic: The Pahalgam attack is a calculated political act, not a desperate or random terrorist strike.
• Targeting peace optics: Timed with the onset of the tourist season and the visit of U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance, it aims to disrupt normalcy and international diplomacy.
• Cross-border terror signature: Pattern suggests Pakistan’s military-intelligence nexus, using proxy outfits like The Resistance Front.

Relevance : GS 3(Internal Security)

Practice Question : “Terrorist attacks like the one in Pahalgam aim to fracture the peace narrative in Kashmir.” Analyze how such acts impact regional integration and internal stability in India.(250 Words)

Symbolism of Location

• Baisaran (‘mini Switzerland’): A peaceful, family-oriented tourist site — the attack desecrates the image of Kashmir as a safe haven.
• Psychological impact: Strikes at both human lives and national morale, undermining growing public confidence in visiting Kashmir.

Intelligence and Security Lapses

• Massive failure in surveillance: Despite being a known tourist and pilgrimage hub, Pahalgam was inadequately secured.
• Technological gaps: Absence or inefficiency of drones and electronic surveillance infrastructure is alarming.
• Parallel to Kargil: Though smaller in scale, the societal impact could be comparably significant.

Proxy Warfare and ISI Link

• The Resistance Front = Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy: Denial-based warfare continues under Pakistan’s ISI patronage.
• Strategic environment: Lack of accountability for Pakistan emboldens repeated terrorism under a façade of plausible deniability.

Instruments of Response

• Diplomatic isolation: Pressure Pakistan on platforms where it seeks legitimacy (e.g., OIC, UN).
• Reconsider trade & water-sharing: Economic pressure through treaties like Indus Waters Treaty can be explored.
• Covert capabilities: Develop and deploy intelligence-led, precise counter-terror operations across the LoC.

Historical Pattern

• Consistent behavior: From Kargil (1999) to Pulwama (2019), Pakistan’s army has exploited internal unrest to trigger confrontations.
• Strategic denial doctrine: All attacks show asymmetric warfare under strategic ambiguity.

Re-establishing Deterrence

• Beyond symbolic response: India must raise the cost of cross-border terror, both overtly and covertly.
• Protect the tourism-recovery narrative: Attacks like Pahalgam are direct assaults on economic integration and peacebuilding.
• Reintegrating Kashmiris: The local population is not complicit; youth want jobs, peace, not militancy.

Internal and External Response Coordination

• Domestic strategy: Invest in education, infrastructure, and political dialogue to reinforce internal unity.
• International coordination: Leverage diplomatic moments like Vance’s visit to mobilize global action before, not after, terror acts.