After shooting incident in IIOJK, Indian media calls for 'Israel-like solution' in Kashmir

Following a shooting incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that k!lled 26 tourists, calls for an "Israel-like solution" in Kashmir have intensified, not only among Hindu nationalists but also within India's mainstream media and political circles.

In the wake of the attack on Tuesday, Kashmiri Muslims across India have faced harassment, arbitrary detentions by law enforcement, and violent incidents in various states. Many in India have drawn parallels between the Pahalgam attack and the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, using it as justification for more aggressive policies toward Kashmiris.

Al Jazeera reported that Kashmiri Muslims in several Indian states, including Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, were threatened because of their ethnicity and religion. Many were forced to leave their hostels and universities, returning home for their safety.

Meanwhile, India hastily blamed Pakistan for the attack without providing substantial evidence. Opposition parties in Parliament criticised the BJP government for its failure to prevent the attack, especially after a government minister admitted to an intelligence lapse at such a sensitive site.

Indian mainstream media, including prominent news anchors and journalists, have fueled outrage, drawing comparisons between the Pahalgam shooting and Hamas's October 7 attack. Several media figures and commentators have openly advocated for a response modeled on Israel’s ethnic cleansing, occupation, and gen0cide in Gaza.

Middle East Eye reported that major Indian news outlets are actively encouraging the dehumanisation of Kashmiri Muslims, promoting public support for a potential large-scale military offensive in Kashmir similar to Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Firebrand anchor Arnab Goswami declared on his right-wing YouTube channel Republic World, "April 22 is to India what October 7 was to Israel." A panelist on his show even demanded that India should "turn Pakistan into Gaza."

India's NDTV reported that Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, blamed Hamas for the Pahalgam attack. He claimed that a Palestinian resistance leader had recently visited IIOJK and drew direct parallels between the two attacks.

"The terrorists are collaborating at all levels and trying to be copycats of each other. I am sure the intelligence agencies are working together to defeat them," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

He added, "There are similarities between the Pahalgam attack and what happened on October 7 in Israel. Innocent tourists were enjoying their vacation in Pahalgam, just as people were celebrating a music festival in Israel."

India, already the largest importer of Israeli arms, had previously supplied Hermes drones to Israel’s military during its recent offensive on Gaza.

This pattern of equating the Pahalgam attack with October 7 is not limited to TV screens and social media. Middle East Eye reported that several prominent Indian columnists have also endorsed adopting the "Israeli model" for Kashmir through newspaper articles.

Former Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane (Retd) wrote in The Print that India should "borrow from the US and Israeli playbook" in retaliating against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.

"Now, India must do to Pakistan's ISI what Israel did to Hamas," former Pentagon official Michael Rubin similarly said in an interview with The Print.

Last year, a Human Rights Watch report documented ongoing abuses by Indian forces in IIOJK since the region’s special autonomous status was revoked on August 5, 2019. The report highlighted arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, surveillance, and other serious human rights violations.

A Kashmiri businessman told Human Rights Watch, "It might seem calm with all the tourists, late-night shopping, and other signs of normalcy, but we are festering inside. It’s like a soda bottle waiting to burst."

Human rights organisations have consistently raised concerns about India's increasing repression in Kashmir, surveillance, demographic engineering, and extrajudicial killings, mirroring Israeli tactics in occupied Palestinian territories. Experts now fear that India's far-right regime may be preparing to take the final steps to replicate Israel’s most extreme measures, executing its invasive designs in IIOJK under the cover of "counterterrorism."