Pahalgam terror attack: Army veteran's bold call to action - 'Time to strike Pakistani military'

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon (Retd)

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, former GOC of the Indian Army’s 15 Corps, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon (Retd), strongly condemned the act, linking its timing to strategic political developments and alleging deep-state involvement from across the border.

In a conversation with Times Now, Lt Gen Dhillon asserted that the terror attack was no coincidence, emphasising that it occurred at a time when the US Vice President is visiting India and PM Modi is visiting Saudi Arabia. “The intention was to overshadow these visits and sending out a loud message,” he said.

“The timing of the attack was selected with VIP visits in India and abroad to shift global focus and disrupt growing stability in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.

The attack, which targeted tourists comes at a time when Kashmir has been experiencing relative peace. “In today's world, it is for everyone to see Kashmir is going through a period of progress and this incident seeks to challenge that progress,” he said.

Lt Gen Dhillon attributed the act to Pakistan’s longstanding strategy, asserting, “Pakistan is practising deep-state terrorism, and this is another page in it.”

Lt Gen Dhillon believes its orchestration goes far beyond routine insurgency. “This is not an attack that could have been planned by a normal terrorist organisation or a front like TRF. This has been planned by the Pakistani military in Pakistan,” he claimed.

He went on to make a bold call for action, “We have to hit the Pakistan Army because that’s where it hurts Pakistan the most.”

“Pakistan has been the sole reason for the terror attacks in our country. We have enough resources to bring them down,” he added.

Acknowledging the progress made in counter-terror operations in the Valley, Dhillon said, “Everyone had started feeling that peace had returned in Kashmir. I always believed this is the consolidation phase. The last 10 per cent is the most difficult phase of any counter-terrorist operation because, while the number of terrorists is fewer, their visibility is also reduced.”