Dawn
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04:06 May 10, 2025
THE April 22 Pahalgam incident has evoked a hysterical reaction from India, which has attacked Pakistani and Azad Kashmir cities killing innocent civilians, including children, and damaging the Neelum-Jhelum hydel works. Within five minutes of the Pahalgam attack, Indian media started pointing fingers at Pakistan alleging it had enabled the terrorist attack. Two weeks later, India attacked without providing a shred of evidence of Pakistan’s alleged involvement. The purpose of this article is to urge Indian policymakers to avoid prolonging their actions as the political, social and economic costs for their own country are substantial, and instead, examine their policy stance dispassionately. India ranks fifth among global economies and has an impressive record of rapid economic growth, which has lifted several hundred million out of poverty. It is one of the world’s leading exporters of IT and IT-enabled services, and aspires to become a developed economy by 2047, with the size of its economy projected to rang...