What was the deployment of forces in and around Pahalgam on the day of the attack?
There was no deployment in and around Pahalgam, sources said. A security official attached to the Union home ministry said there are CRPF and Rashtriya Rifles camps 5-6km from the attack site.
Were the jawans not minding their posts because of complacency?
No deployment was meant to be there. Army, CRPF and police patrols usually visit crowded places like markets and sensitive locations but there is no such patrolling in Pahalgam. Security in and around Pahalgam is intensified during the Amarnath Yatra but not in the tourist season. “The area had not witnessed any terror attacks in the recent past, and tourists have rarely been attacked there. This may have led to complacency but now, hopefully, things will change,” a security official said.
What is the deployment now?
After Tuesday’s attack, the area has become a fortress with army, CRPF and police personnel stationed there. Extensive patrolling is on.
Why did the militants choose the Baisaran Valley?
“With Jammu witnessing a surge in terror attacks over the past two years, the security forces were concentrated there. So, this time the militants shifted their focus to the Valley, which has largely been peaceful for sometime,” said Major-General (Retd) Yash Mor, who served as a major in Pahalgam between 2001 and 2003. The Baisaran meadow, southeast of Pahalgam town, is a remote area accessible via trekking routes that pass through streams, dense forests, and muddy stretches. Large stretches of the route are not motorable; the tourists arrive on foot or riding ponies. The militants knew there were no security personnel in the area. Emergency response takes 30-40 minutes because of the tough terrain.
How did the militants have a free run for 20-25 minutes?
“The attackers must have done a recce. With no security personnel around, they could spend 20-25 minutes and had ample time to ask people their religion before killing them,” Mor said. “Their objectives were religious polarisation and the creation of panic ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.”
How was the attack made possible?
“We must accept there was intelligence failure at some level. This is a big issue. We have the Intelligence Bureau, military intelligence, police intelligence besides electronic intelligence (focused on Kashmir),” Mor said. “Perhaps, we don’t have actionable human intelligence, which is most important in insurgency-hit areas. For that we need to win the hearts of the local people.” Mor also stressed the lack of accountability after past terror attacks. “Where is accountability, be it Kargil, Pulwama, Uri or the Chinese intrusion into the Galwan Valley? Have we ever fixed accountability?”
Are there red lines beyond which tourists or civilians cannot go?
Security officials say there are no red lines for tourists in Kashmir other than the Line of Control.