In this episode, host Vishnu Sharma speaks with Sushant Singh, The Caravan’s consulting editor, about the 22 April attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. On that day, 26 civilians were killed at a tourist spot in Pahalgam, prompting India to launch a series of counterterror operations and take strong measures against Pakistan—including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and asking Pakistani citizens to leave the country.
Sushant suggests that not only should an impartial investigation be carried out, but political and institutional responsibility must also be determined. He argues that this kind of accountability has often been overlooked in the past leading to worsening conditions. In The Caravan’s March issue, Sushant explained how the Balakot episode was a military failure for India. Read how the Modi government drew political mileage out of a military failure: https://caravanmagazine.in/security/balakot-failure-modi-victory
However, critical questions remain unanswered: how were the attackers able to carry out such a large-scale operation? Where did India's security agencies fail? Should political and institutional accountability be fixed for such lapses?