Within the Crackdown: What Happened After the Pahalgam Attack

It started with gunfire — piercing, terrifying, and sudden — shattering the quiet of a serene spring morning in Pahalgam.

Families were on holiday. Couples on honeymoon walked along the Lidder River's banks. No one could have dreamed that April 22, 2025, would be mentioned when one of the darkest days in living memory. In a matter of minutes of uncontrolled mayhem, 26 innocent lives were stated by a premeditated terror attack.

But silence followed was not the response. It was rapid response.

And for the first time in years, the ground under the conflict shifted — literally and symbolically.

A Region in Shock, A Nation Demanding Justice

The attack shook the country. Pahalgam, whose name means "havens" and is famous for its beauty and serenity, was not the kind of place people expected to be attacked. That's Specifics made the strike so cruel.

Indian security forces did not lose time in response. Intelligence units were mobilized, informants were set off, & drones took to the air. But this time, the plan was not only to neutralize the attackers. It was to take down everything around them.

Five houses. Five sites that used to be asylums., hideouts, or maybe even havens for those who perpetrated violence — were reduced to rubble.

The Demolitions: A Calculated Statement

Bulldozers arrived in Tral and Pulwama in the morning broke.

The home of Asif Sheikh, a identified follower of a militant group, was first to go. Then came the property of Adil Shah, followed by buildings associated with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Amir Khan.

The officials explain that these weren't mere houses — they were "logistical hubs." They were allegedly used to store weapons, accommodate operatives, and plot attacks like the one in Pahalgam.

The demolitions were not accidental. They were targeted, based on intelligence inputs, & allowed to administrative orders. In a landscape where fear usually hangs in the air, this action said it all.

Voices on the Ground

"There is no place for terrorists here anymore," one local resident said, observing a demolition at a distance. "People are angry. We want peace, not bullets."

Not all, of course. Rights activists have questioned litigation, caution that collective punishment may boomerang. "Justice should not be at the cost of due process," said one in a television debate.

But for most, especially Kashmiris weary of decades of violence, support for this new, tough strategy is growing.

A Shift in Strategy

For years, anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir had a script: Follow, come across, & neutralize. But the more advancements the Pahalgam harm exposes a wider, more aggressive playbook.

The government has changed tack — from merely eliminating militants to targeting the sources of militancy. That means funding networks, ideological incubators, and yes, the safe houses.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha put it in a nutshell:

If someone donates shelter to terrorists, then his house will be brought to the ground."

No uncertainty. No dilly-dallying.

Ripple Effects Across the Border

The crackdown, predictably, did not go comfortable with Pakistan. Cross-border firing was renewed, and diplomatic salvos were exchanged. Furthermore, India asserts the attackers were aided from the other side of the border, Pakistan keeps on denying.

But this time, New Delhi isn't merely talking. It's sending messages in deeds — demolitions, raids, and a tangible dismantling of the terror infrastructure.

The Bigger Picture

Is it brutal? Yes.

Is it effective? Time will tell.

But one thing is certain: India is done play defense.

Previously, most counter-terror operations were in response. But post-Pahalgam, the playbook was rewritten. These demolitions weren't just about structures — they had to do with using the basis of fear away, inch by inch, wall by wall.