Opinion: Centre must answer for Pahalgam attack; independent panel must investigate media, says NAPM

Hyderabad: National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) demanded accountability from the Union government for the terror attack at Pahalgam on April 22 and called for resistance against plunging the nation into war.

NAPM demanded that an independent tribunal must look into the spread of misinformation, disinformation and fake news on television channels.

As we come to May 22, we acknowledge the same day, a month ago, when the Pahalgam attack happened—the cold blooded gunning down of 25 Indian nationals, 1 Nepali citizen by a handful of armed terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that shattered lives of numerous families across India, said NAPM.

Painful puzzle

NAPM said, “It remains a painful puzzle to this day, as to how the armed assailants were able to enter the area undetected, wilfully select victims and leave undetected. We denounced these brutal killings, protested and mourned the loss of those innocent victims. Nothing can lessen the pain and trauma of the families who deserve all support and solidarity in their quest for justice. We strongly condemn the vicious right-wing trolling of women of the aggrieved families and the weaponisation of their trauma to inflict hate against Muslims and Kashmiris.”

Over the past four weeks, pointed questions have been asked of the Union government about the attack and its subsequent probe:

- How was it possible for four heavily armed terrorists to enter the popular tourist destination?

- Why were no security personnel present at the Baisaran meadow?

- How is it possible that the terrorists had the amount of time they did to conduct the bloody massacre at Baisaran?

- How were the terrorists able to leave the area undetected and without being apprehended?

- How is it that despite their identities being known from the day following the massacre, Indian forces have failed to apprehend them till today?

A thorough investigation

NAPM demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted and its findings be made public at the earliest. The Home Minister’s Office is directly accountable for the deaths of these 26 people. The minister in charge must respect the responsibility of his office or step down from it.

“We feel it is important to position ourselves clearly against jingoism and war mongering, asking who benefits and who stands to lose from wars. We must critically analyse the foreign policy setbacks in the wake of terror attacks and war, understand the intertwined politics of Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, challenge hate and misinformation campaigns of mainstream media, resist use of water as tool of war and stop criminalisation of sane voices prioritising political over militarised responses, as a long-term way forward,” NAPM said, in a public statement.

As a pan-Indian alliance of working-class people’s movements, we clearly position ourselves against war and call for the peaceful resolution of political conflicts, the organisation said.

NAPM demands:

1. Accountability for the security lapses that led to the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. A thorough investigation must be conducted and its findings made public at the earliest.

2. All efforts must be made to increase the scope and ambit of democracy in Kashmir. This includes, but is not limited to, restoring Statehood, building trust and protecting fundamental rights and freedoms of people in the region.

3. That the Indian government release a White Paper on Operation Sindoor, making public the details of the military actions conducted, including losses, to ensure a level-headed assessment and ensure accountability of actions.

4. That the conduct of Indian news media (particularly TV channels) be investigated by an independent tribunal. If it is found that these platforms ran fake news and conducted misinformation campaigns, then their broadcast licenses must be cancelled and their ownership penalised.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of NAPM and do not reflect the official policy or position of NewsMeter)