Pahalgam was Pak ploy to provoke India: Ex-Defence Attache

A senior Army officer has said that the terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this year was orchestrated by Pakistan in an attempt to provoke India into launching a military strike.

“Islamabad was ready to respond to that strike,” said Maj Gen SP Vishwasrao, while addressing a seminar at the Army War College in Mhow today.

Maj Gen Vishwasrao, who previously served as India’s Defence Attaché to Pakistan, was speaking at a session titled "Indian Army’s Weaponising the Narrative: Technological Catalysts in Modern Information Warfare", part of the two-day ‘Ran Samwad’ seminar.

Currently posted in Pune, the General said: “The killings based on religion at Pahalgam in April 2025 were aimed at creating political schisms. The objective was to incite India into carrying out a surgical strike — something Pakistan was possibly prepared for.”

When asked whether India fell into the trap laid by Pakistan, Maj Gen Vishwasrao replied: “I wasn’t posted in South Block during Operation Sindoor, but as a Pakistan observer, I can draw parallels between Pulwama and Pahalgam.”

He further stated that with India pushing its development agenda under ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, attempts to derail this progress by Pakistan — either directly or through its proxies — were to be expected.

Quoting US political scientist Christine Fair, Maj Gen Vishwasrao noted: “Pakistan’s perception of victory lies in its ability to continue resisting India, regardless of the cost.”

The General also spoke about weaponised narratives being used as tools in modern information warfare.

“Story-based communication is being strategically used to create political and social divisions, targeting institutions, cultures and democratic structures,” he said.

“Mobilising people against their own government is the essence of a weaponised narrative. It happened in Bangladesh, and it’s happening across India as well,” he added.