New Delhi: Emphasising that India is a ‘sufferer’ and will retaliate in full measure over the Pahalgam terror attack, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has said that it is unethical for countries to sermonise India about not escalating the situation. In an interview with ThePrint, VHP president Alok Kumar said many countries have ‘sermonised’ and ‘advised’ India to de-escalate and show restraint, an approach he termed ‘unethical’.
“A number of countries have been sermonising that it’s enough…it is unethical to advise India to not escalate it. We are the sufferers and will retaliate in full measures,” he said.
From the US to China, even Bangladesh, has urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. The attack was executed on 22 April by at least four terrorists in Baisaran valley and coincided with US Vice President J.D. Vance’s four-day visit to India, and PM Narendra Modi’s Saudi Arabia visit.
Alok Kumar’s remarks come in the backdrop of Vance’s comments Thursday that India’s response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack should be measured in order to avoid triggering a “wider regional conflict”.
China, too, has asked both New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint while advocating a resolution through dialogue.
Kumar said the central government will decide ‘what to do, when to do and how to do it’. He added that India is capable of eliminating any ‘anti-India structure’ in the entire world including Pakistan. “Pakistan should be ready to face consequences for its misdeeds,” he said.
Citing an example from the Ramayana, Kumar told ThePrint: “After Lord Rama’s friendship with Sugriva he stayed for two months on a hill waiting for the opportune time before the expedition to locate Sita. One has to wait for the timing and carry it out in the right manner.”
Kumar said terrorists who executed the Pahalgam attack wanted to break Kashmir’s backbone—its tourism sector—because a prosperous Kashmir is not in their favour.
The VHP president also condemned the targeting of Kashmiris, especially students, in parts of the country but maintained that these incidents should not be used to ‘silence’ the majority which has a right to question ‘jihadi’ elements.
“Kashmiri students should not be attacked but these incidents should not be used to silence those who are raising their voice against jihadis. This incident has made it clear that terror has a religion as after checking the identity of the tourists they were killed mercilessly,” he added.
VHP has been vocal about its views on the terror attack and even issued a statement stressing ‘terror has a religion’. The RSS affiliate and its youth wing Bajrang Dal also launched a nationwide protest against the Pahalgam attack, burning effigies of “jihadi terrorism and sinner Pakistan”.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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