Note: This article was first published on February 16, 2019 and is being republished on February 14, 2020, one year after the Pulwama attack.
Happymon Jacob speaks with Siddharth Varadarajan (founding editor, The Wire), Col (Retired) Ajai Shukla (defence editor, Business Standard) and Moeed Yusuf (US Institute of Peace) to analyse the Pulwama attack and to assess the menu of options India has, to respond.
The conversation also discusses the indigenous nature of this attack, the degree to which it can be attributed to agents in Pakistan, the diplomatic and military options India has vis-à-vis Pakistan and the causes of the rise in the number of youths joining militancy in J&K as well as increasing hostilities between armed forces and civilians in the state.
Can all this be attributed to the present government’s failed Pakistan as well as Kashmir policy? Or is this a pre-election surprise by Imran Khan’s government for Prime Minister Narendra Modi?