Context

• The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, is not a random act of violence, but a meticulously calculated political signal aimed at disrupting strategic stability, denting the image of a reviving Kashmir, and challenging India’s diplomatic posture.
• Occurring at a time when tourism was beginning to flourish and coinciding with U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance’s visit to India, the attack underscores a deliberate attempt to project instability and provoke response.
• Amid these developments, it is important to explore the motives behind the attack, examine its broader geopolitical context, critique the gaps in India’s security apparatus, and propose a long-term strategic framework for deterrence and stability.

The Motives Behind the Attack, Pakistan Factor and Proxy War Paradigm

• A Calculated Strike on Peace and Normalcy
  • The setting of the attack, Baisaran, popularly known as mini Switzerland, is symbolic.
  • The target was not merely civilians, but the very notion of Kashmir as a safe, rejuvenating tourist destination.
  • By targeting a site associated with joy, leisure, and innocence, the perpetrators intended to etch fear into public consciousness and derail the narrative of normalcy.
  • The visceral imagery of bloodshed in a place of beauty and calm has amplified public outrage and psychological trauma.
  • Moreover, the timing reveals geopolitical calculation.
  • Just as Kashmir was emerging as a viable tourist destination and India’s global diplomacy was gaining momentum, the attack served to draw global attention back to unresolved tensions, particularly the cross-border dimensions rooted in Pakistan’s support for proxy terror groups.
• The Pakistan Factor and the Proxy War Paradigm
  • Responsibility for the attack was claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy organisation tied to Lashkar-e-Taiba, operating under the umbrella of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
  • This pattern, employing nominally independent terror groups to maintain plausible deniability, has long characterized Pakistan’s asymmetric warfare strategy.
  • From Kargil in 1999 to Pulwama in 2019, each significant internal or civil-military crisis within Pakistan has been accompanied by escalatory acts targeting India, particularly in Kashmir.
  • General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s current army chief and a former ISI director, appears to be reviving the doctrine of managed escalation, provocations kept below the nuclear threshold to maintain strategic pressure on India while avoiding full-scale war.
  • His overt ideological rhetoric and increasing ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) reflect a hardening stance, fuelled in part by Pakistan’s internal instability.

Intelligence and Security Failures

• Despite being a known tourist hub and a gateway to the Amarnath shrine, Pahalgam appears to have suffered from serious lapses in intelligence and surveillance.
• The absence of drone and electronic monitoring, despite prior investments, signals a troubling complacency in counter-terror preparedness.
• While not on the scale of the Kargil intelligence failure, the incident points to systemic gaps that must be urgently addressed.

The Way Forward

• Toward a Long-Term Strategy of Deterrence
  • India’s responses to terrorism have often been episodic and reactive.
  • While necessary, condemnation and isolated acts of retaliation have failed to shift Pakistan’s strategic calculus.
  • What is required is a long-term, institutionalised deterrence strategy that transcends political cycles and is grounded in political consensus.
  • Classical deterrence theory emphasises not just the threat of punishment, but the imposition of cumulative and credible costs.
  • India must therefore embrace a framework of escalatory credibility, one that includes diplomatic isolation, reconsideration of resource-sharing arrangements like water, and the enhancement of covert capabilities aimed at disrupting terrorist networks across the border.
  • These are not reckless options, but essential tools of statecraft used effectively by other nations.
• Recognition of Kashmiris as Victims, Not Collaborators
  • It is crucial to recognise that the people of Kashmir are not complicit in this violence. They are its primary victims.
  • The attack was designed not only to kill, but to sever the growing ties between the Valley and the rest of India. Young Kashmiris today seek education, employment, and peace, not militancy.
  • To alienate them with suspicion is to risk losing the very demographic that holds the key to long-term peace.
  • Hence, India's internal response must prioritise inclusive development, sustained economic investment, and social integration over repression or blanket securitization.
• Leveraging the Diplomatic Channel
  • The presence of a senior U.S. official in India during the attack presents a diplomatic opportunity.
  • India must leverage this moment to push for firmer language and actionable commitments from allies against state-sponsored terrorism.
  • Sympathy in the aftermath of attacks is welcome, but what India needs more is preventative action and global pressure on Pakistan’s support systems.

Conclusion

• The Pahalgam massacre is not an isolated event but a chapter in a long and painful saga of asymmetric warfare.
• It is a reminder that ambiguity and restraint without consequence embolden the aggressor.
• India must now respond not merely with emotion, but with strategy, not with isolated reactions, but with systemic reforms and calibrated deterrence.
• The language of credible consequence is the only one that has historically restrained Pakistan’s adventurism. It is time India speaks it, again and with resolve.

Q1. What was the main target of the Pahalgam attack?
Ans. The attack targeted both innocent civilians and the image of Kashmir as a safe tourist destination.

Q2. Who claimed responsibility for the attack?
Ans. The Resistance Front, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s ISI.

Q3. What major security lapse was highlighted?
Ans. A failure in intelligence and absence of surveillance in a high-tourism zone.

Q4. What strategic approach does the essay advocate for India?
Ans. Long-term, credible deterrence across political administrations.

Q5. How should India engage with Kashmir internally?
Ans. Through economic investment, political inclusion, and rejecting narratives that alienate locals. 

Source:The Hindu

Context

• In recent years, the rights of transgender individuals have become flashpoints in cultural and legal debates across the world.
• The United Kingdom Supreme Court’s recent decision to exclude trans women from the definition of women under the Equality Act, 2010, marks a watershed moment in this ongoing struggle.
• While presented by some as a measure to protect cisgender women, this ruling, alongside similar sentiments from political figures like former U.S. President Donald Trump, reveals deeper ideological alignments and anxieties.
• At stake are not just legal protections but the very notion of inclusion, justice, and the definition of human rights in democratic societies.

The Rise of Trans-Exclusionary Feminism, Legal Contradictions and Undermining of Trans Rights

• The Rise of Trans-Exclusionary Feminism
  • One of the most disconcerting trends is the adoption of trans-exclusionary rhetoric by individuals and groups who otherwise present themselves as progressive or feminist.
  • The paradox lies in their co-opting of feminist discourse to justify what is essentially exclusionary and conservative.
  • Citing safety and common sense, these arguments echo traditional far-right tropes of fear and contamination, painting trans women as threats to cisgender women’s spaces.
  • Notably, billionaire author J.K. Rowling has played a central role in shaping public and political narratives around this issue.
  • Her campaign, celebrated by far-right actors globally, uses the language of victimhood and safety while wielding immense cultural and economic power.
  • This inversion, where powerful figures claim victimhood against a marginalised group, mirrors broader far-right strategies that depict minorities as existential threats to the majority.
• Legal Contradictions and Undermining of Trans Rights
  • The U.K. Supreme Court’s decision effectively undermines the Gender Recognition Act, 2004, which had previously granted legal recognition to transgender individuals in their affirmed gender.
  • The ruling narrows this scope, excluding trans women from certain protections and rights afforded to cisgender women.
  • In doing so, it raises urgent questions: Can a democratic society reconcile such exclusions with its commitment to equality? Does the law protect all women, or only those who conform to biological essentialism?
  • This rollback is not an isolated legal anomaly. It exists within a growing global context where political leaders, Trump being a notable example, have declared, by executive fiat, that only two biological sexes exist.
  • By framing such positions as a return to sanity, these decisions aim to naturalise exclusion as a rational and necessary act, not a discriminatory one.

Cultural Fear-Mongering and Global Bigotry

• The logic of trans exclusion aligns seamlessly with other far-right ideologies.
• Trans exclusion becomes the wedge issue, the last acceptable form of bigotry, through which broader regressive ideologies re-enter mainstream discourse.
• What unites these diverse expressions is a fear of fluidity, of borders, of identities, of categories.
• In response, the far-right clings to a rigid binary: male/female, citizen/foreigner, pure/impure. But this binary is scientifically untenable and ethically indefensible.

The Contradictions in Supporting the UK Supreme Court Judgement

• False Equivalence and the Myth of Separate but Equal
  • Some feminists defend the U.K. ruling by arguing for equal but separate facilities for cis and trans women.
  • But this echoes the infamous separate but equal doctrine that upheld racial segregation in the United States, a doctrine now widely discredited.
  • Such separation not only dehumanises trans women but also endangers all women by institutionalising gender surveillance. Who decides what a real woman looks like?
  • The answer leads us into dystopian territory, where every woman must submit to scrutiny, medical tests, and perhaps even public humiliation.
  • The case of boxer Imane Khelif, assigned female at birth yet misgendered by Rowling, illustrates the dangerous absurdity of this logic.
  • If women’s bodies must meet a narrow definition of femininity to be recognised as legitimate, the freedom of all women is at risk.
• Science, Language, and the Resistance to Erasure
  • Those who champion science is real in denying trans identities often do so selectively, rejecting science when it contradicts their politics, such as in the case of vaccines or climate change.
  • In truth, modern biology increasingly acknowledges the natural diversity of hormones, chromosomes, and even brain structures, undermining any simplistic binary model of sex.
  • Sexual diversity, like neurodiversity, is biologically rooted and not merely a social construct.
  • Language, too, evolves in response to human needs.
  • The singular ‘they’ has a long grammatical history in English, dating back to Chaucer.
  • Just as feminists once fought for gender-neutral terms, the growing acceptance of inclusive language is a natural progression toward a more just and accurate representation of human experience.

Conclusion

• The current backlash against trans rights is not about safety or science, it is about power.
• It is about who gets to define reality and whose identity gets validated by law and culture.
• The invocation of common sense to justify exclusionary policies is neither common nor sensible; it is a political choice shaped by fear, misinformation, and vested interests.
• But just as flat-earthism gave way to heliocentrism, and as patriarchal denials of women’s intellect faded in the face of feminist struggle, so too will the rigid sex binary dissolve under the weight of lived realities and scientific understanding.

Q1. What did the UK Supreme Court rule about trans women?
Ans. It ruled that trans women are not considered women under the Equality Act, 2010.

Q2. Who supported the ruling on trans exclusion in the UK?
Ans. Some feminist groups, the Labour Party, and J.K. Rowling supported it.

Q3. How is trans exclusion linked to far-right ideology?
Ans.  It mirrors far-right tactics that use fear and "common sense" to justify exclusion.

Q4. What does science say about gender diversity?
Ans. Science shows biological diversity in sex, including hormones and chromosomes.

Q5. Why is the idea of ‘separate but equal’ criticised?
Ans. It recalls segregation-era policies and increases discrimination against trans women. 

Source:The Hindu

Context:

• In India, food safety and nutrition are often overshadowed by socio-political considerations, despite alarming public health indicators like widespread child malnutrition and rising non-communicable diseases.
• Rampant food adulteration - ranging from milk and paneer to spices and oils - not only endangers health but also undermines the country’s economic credibility and regulatory framework.

Food and its Socio-Political Dimensions:

• Food as a social construct: Decisions around food in India, including mid-day meals and public functions, are influenced more by social and political contexts than by nutritional needs.
• Neglect of health aspects: Health considerations often take a back seat despite alarming nutrition indicators. 

Nutritional Status and Policy Apathy:

• NFHS-5 (2019–21) findings (among under five children):
  • Stunting: 35.5%
  • Wasting: 19.3%
  • Underweight prevalence: 32.1%
• Lack of nutritional prioritization: Despite such indicators, public health and nutrition continue to be low on the policy agenda.

The Menace of Food Adulteration:

• Adulteration in dairy products:
  • Milk adulteration:
    • National survey on milk adulteration (2011): 70% of milk samples failed safety standards.
    • Common adulterants: Water, salt, detergents, glucose.
  • Fake paneer: Detected in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida with adulterants like starch, synthetic milk, acetic acid.
• Spices:
  • Hong Kong banned (April 2024) MDH and Everest spice blends for containing ethylene oxide (carcinogen).
  • The EU has raised concerns about the presence of ethylene oxide in chilli peppers from India, and banned 400 spice items between 2019–2024 due to contamination.
• Edible oil contamination:
  • Common adulterants: Rice bran oil, argemone oil, artificial allyl isothiocyanate.
  • Health implications: Linked with non-communicable diseases like diabetes.

Public Health Implications:

• India’s health crisis:
  • Referred to as the "Diabetes Capital" with 77 million adults (above 18) suffering from this non-communicable disease.
  • A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has attributed this to the dietary patterns, including ultra-processed and fried food consumption.
• Lack of public awareness: Adulterated food leads to food poisoning and even death in severe cases.

Regulatory and Institutional Gaps:

• Role of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
  • Conducts raids, tests sample, cancels licenses.
  • Urges the public to be cautious - a shift of responsibility from the state to individuals.
• Challenges in implementation:
  • Weak state infrastructure hampers effective food regulation.
  • Need for capacity building among food producers and vendors.

Way Forward - Reforms and Recommendations:

• Stricter FSSAI enforcement: Nationwide standardization and compliance.
• Improved food supply chain: Focus on farming, processing, and packaging hygiene.
• Food literacy: Promotion of awareness regarding safe and nutritious food consumption.
• Review of pesticide permissibility: Update safety norms to align with global standards.
• Empowering citizens without abdicating state responsibility: Balanced accountability framework.

Conclusion:

• Food safety is not just a health concern - it is a governance issue with socio-economic and international ramifications.
• Ensuring clean, nutritious, and unadulterated food must be a state priority backed by institutional strength, regulatory vigilance, and public engagement, especially in a country facing dual burdens of undernutrition and non-communicable diseases.

Q1. Discuss the role of the state in ensuring food safety and nutrition in India.

Ans. The state plays a critical role in regulating food quality, implementing nutrition policies, and ensuring public health through institutions like FSSAI, but often shifts responsibility to individuals, weakening accountability.

Q2. How does food adulteration contribute to India’s dual burden of disease?

Ans. Food adulteration exacerbates both communicable and non-communicable diseases by exposing consumers to harmful substances, undermining nutritional intake, and contributing to conditions like diabetes and cancer.

Q3. Evaluate the impact of food adulteration on India's agricultural and export economy.

Ans. Adulteration tarnishes India's international image, especially in spice exports, leading to import bans and trade losses, and negatively affects farmers and producers reliant on global markets.

Q4. What are the key findings of NFHS-5 related to child nutrition, and what do they imply for policy?

Ans. NFHS-5 reports 35.5% stunting, 19.3% wasting, and 32.1% underweight among children under five, indicating the urgent need for nutrition-centric policies and better implementation of welfare schemes.

Q5. How does the issue of food adulteration raise ethical concerns in public administration?

Ans. It highlights a failure of duty and moral responsibility among regulators and producers to protect public health, reflecting ethical lapses in enforcement, transparency, and consumer safety.

Source:IE