The following article originally appeared in Foreign Policy on February 15, 2019.
On the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 14, a massive
explosion rocked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama in the
Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 40 personnel belonging to the
CRPF—a 300,000-strong paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs
involved in law-and-order and counterterrorism duties—were killed as a suicide
bomber drove an SUV reportedly loaded with about 600 pounds of explosives into
their bus. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization based in Pakistan, has
claimed responsibility for the attack, and the group’s role has been confirmed
by Indian officials. The assault comes weeks before India’s general elections,
which are expected to be held in March and April.
The next morning, India’s Cabinet Committee on
Security—consisting of the prime minister and four senior ministers—held an
emergency meeting and, as a first step, announced the revocation of “most
favored nation” trading status for Pakistan. India had granted this status to
Pakistan in 1996, although Pakistan had never reciprocated. But this is just
one of the retaliatory measures likely to be taken after the worst act of
Islamist terrorism in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
The full article can be read here.