False Fire in the Valley
For a region perpetually teetering on the brink of volatility, the Pahalgam attack was not an act of violence but rather a carefully timed political theatre played out under the shadow of a greater strategic design. Coming at a crucial moment when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia and US Vice President Kamala Harris’s representative, Senator Vance, was in New Delhi, the attack immediately painted the focus both domestically and internationally. Modi’s decision to leave early in his diplomatic engagement gave an air of urgency and resolve to a narrative carefully crafted by India’s state, that Pakistan is the eternal aggressor. However, as history has repeatedly demonstrated, the urgency of such a narrative often masks a far more orchestrated reality, one rooted in the doctrine of false flag operations, a strategy India has seemingly employed with increasing regularity.
Sharp memories of such accusations by the Indian government, in the absence of any credible, independently verified evidence, return of previous such incidents including Pulwama in 2019 and Uri in 2016. These are superficial indications of the developments that led to increased rhetoric and militarism directed at Pakistan, helping with some domestic gloss of strong leadership and diversion from divisions. Again, Pahalgam scene is one of the latest episodes in the series that is disturbingly fitting the pattern. The attack comes in the midst of rising turmoil in Indian state of Manipur and more troubled politics and economics in the country, giving clear benefit of the doubt by presenting a suitable distraction, an opportunity to channel nationalist sentiment and camouflage contemporary India’s domestic vulnerabilities behind a cloak that otherwise does not represent a clear external threat.
However, the chronology of the attack underscores the very legitimacy of the questions as the location itself was in Pahalgam, a town nestled in the most militarily guarded and a surveillance zone in the Indian administered Kashmir. But within an area with a high intelligence presence, CCTV coverage, and military forces, how could a terrorist attack have these kinds of exact details? Either way, the implication is damning, whether of gross negligence or complicit orchestration. That this calculated act, with the bolstering of a cooperative media ecosystem behind it, has so successfully primed a wave of hysteria on India, one on par with other false flag precedents in global history (particularly in the U.S. lead up to invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq)
Presumably, India has always tried to present Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, especially in post 9/11 security architecture where such labels were functional tools of diplomatic isolation. Deliberate linking of the Pahalgam attack with partial associations of alleged Pakistan based cross-border militancy is the stuff of a well-worn strategy. While India tries to spin historical tensions on the Pak Afghan border or falsely connect the attack to the so-called regional instability as much as it is fueled by the Pakistani politics, it attempts to present itself as forced to fight the forces of evil when actually it is among the architects of conflict.
This narrative war, waged not merely through arms but through perception, necessitates a unified and robust Pakistani response. At stake is not only Pakistan’s image but the broader dynamics of regional peace and global diplomatic alignment. A fragmented internal political front would only serve India’s objectives. Political cohesion across Pakistan’s spectrum, from PML-N to PTI, PPP to JUI-F, is imperative. A joint declaration condemning the attack, unequivocally rejecting Pakistan’s involvement, and denouncing India’s false flag operations would serve as a powerful counterpunch. The strategic inclusion of Baloch and religious political factions in this front can further neutralize India’s attempt to exploit narratives of internal disunity or extremism within Pakistan.
The Prime Minister must seize this moment to address the nation and the international community, reiterating Pakistan’s principled stance against terrorism in all forms and exposing the pattern of Indian duplicity in constructing crises for political gain. This diplomatic offensive should be matched by a strong parliamentary resolution, signed across party lines, that not only calls for a UN investigation into the Pahalgam attack but also demands global scrutiny of India’s history of engineered provocations.
Simultaneously, a coordinated media strategy must be deployed with urgency. National media channels should spotlight Pakistan’s consistent and verifiable record in combatting terrorism, from Operation Zarb-e-Azb to Radd-ul-Fasaad. Comparative infographics illustrating India’s massive troop deployment in Jammu and Kashmir vis-à-vis its repeated security failures can cast serious doubts on the authenticity of such attacks. A digital media campaign, spearheaded through coordinated hashtags and viral content, must seek to reshape global perceptions. Diaspora voices, respected analysts, and academics based in influential global capitals must be mobilized to counter India’s narrative in international media and policy spaces.
Visual storytelling can be a powerful instrument in this regard. Short films and documentaries detailing the arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and exposing Indian involvement in subversive activities within Pakistan, particularly Baluchistan, can serve to reframe the discourse. The objective must not only be defensive but assertive, to showcase India’s systematic attempts to destabilize Pakistan and mask internal failures with jingoistic deception.
The Pahalgam incident, if viewed merely as another tragedy in a conflict zone, would do disservice to the complexity of regional geopolitics. It must instead be understood as part of a larger, dangerous pattern of strategic deceit employed to serve narrow political gains. Pakistan, having endured the weight of terrorism and worked tirelessly to counter it, must not allow itself to be framed yet again as the villain in India’s political drama. This is not merely a question of narrative, it is a test of resolve, unity, and strategic clarity.
