It wasn’t about solving a crisis; it was about creating one. Within hours, the Pahalgam attack became the perfect trigger for India’s well-oiled state propaganda machinery. The aim was clear: ramp up the rhetoric, divert attention and throw Pakistan under the bus without so much as a shred of evidence. The narrative was set before any facts could even be gathered.

For India, the truth is secondary. The war drums must keep beating, and the enemy must always be the same: Pakistan. This isn’t an isolated case but a recurring tactic in India’s strategy. From Pulwama to Uri, the playbook is eerily familiar: act fast, blame Pakistan, and then build a narrative around that blame – regardless of the facts. It's not about getting to the truth but manufacturing it for political gain.

And yet, as the attack unfolded in one of the most heavily militarised regions on Earth, questions began to mount. How does such an incident occur deep within a zone under constant surveillance and heavy military presence? The answer isn't in blaming Pakistan; it's in confronting the glaring security failures that have plagued India’s handling of Kashmir. Why does every attack become an opportunity for India to deflect from its own shortcomings?

The reality is clear: India’s own occupation has fueled the violence, not any external influence.

The pattern is obvious. Within minutes of the attack, Indian media and state-backed trolls leapt into action, throwing accusations at Pakistan, never pausing to ask for evidence, let alone to wait for an investigation. The message was simple: blame Pakistan, unite the nation against an imaginary enemy, and hope the domestic audience doesn’t question the glaring inconsistencies in the story. But there’s a danger in this strategy: a growing international scepticism. Each unsubstantiated claim chips away at India's credibility, and the world is starting to take notice.

Domestically, even some Indian voices are starting to question the narrative. How is it possible that such an attack could happen in a region teeming with Indian troops and surveillance systems? How can a government claim to protect its people when these attacks keep happening? The uncomfortable truth is that India’s obsession with Pakistan has blinded it to the internal problems in Occupied Kashmir. Instead of addressing the legitimate grievances of the Kashmiri people, India continues to deflect, casting blame on Pakistan as if the problem is external.

The pressure is mounting on the Indian government, which is now stuck in a precarious position. Its calls for war and heightened rhetoric are designed to rally the masses at home, but they risk becoming unmanageable. India had hoped to garner international support, especially from the West, but it’s failing to do so. The promise of integration and alignment with major global powers isn’t being met. The international community has shown a growing reluctance to buy into India’s narrative without evidence, and that’s something India hasn’t counted on. The lack of tangible support for its war cries only highlights how dangerous this situation is becoming for the Indian leadership.

India’s internal divisions are becoming increasingly evident. The ruling government may be stirring anti-Pakistan sentiment at home, but that rhetoric is falling flat when it comes to real-world support. The war cries may rally the masses temporarily, but they’re also pushing the country into a corner, creating a situation where it may be difficult to back down without losing face. India’s leadership finds itself trapped between public pressure for blood and the reality of international scrutiny, which it’s ill-prepared to face.

Amid this frenzy, India’s national media – at best, state-sponsored, and at worst, outright propagandist – continues its campaign to demonise Pakistan. There’s no space for nuance, no room for investigation, only the ceaseless mantra of blame. This rhetoric only deepens the crisis, turning what could be a moment for reflection into an endless cycle of hostility. India’s media, without hesitation, picks up the narrative, amplifying every accusation without question. This cycle, while convenient in the short term, does nothing to address the root cause of the conflict in Kashmir: a brutal, enduring occupation.

In the end, this is a game India can’t win. Its aggressive rhetoric may appease a domestic audience for now, but it only exacerbates tensions in Kashmir and stokes further conflict with Pakistan. The international community is already questioning India’s claims, and the more India doubles down on these unsubstantiated allegations, the further it isolates itself on the world stage.

This isn’t a path to peace. It’s a path to deeper conflict, built on the fragile foundations of falsehoods. Until India confronts the truth of its own occupation in Kashmir and stops using Pakistan as a scapegoat for its failures, the cycle of blame and violence will continue. And the people of Kashmir will continue to suffer.

(The writer is the chairperson of the Punjab Women Protection Authority. The article was first published in The News on May 3, 2025)